MCI approves significant increase in municipal rates.

Byline: Kashif Abbasi

ISLAMABAD -- The Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) on Thursday approved a significant increase in the cost of birth and death registration as well as other municipal services, such as trade licences.

The MCI approved the new municipal rates in a session chaired by Mayor Sheikh Anser Aziz. The new cost of birth and death certificates issued within a month of the birth or death, respectively, has been increased to Rs300 from Rs110.

The cost of certificates issued after a year has been increased to Rs600 from Rs230, and certificates issued after five years will cost Rs1,200, compared to the existing cost of Rs680.

The MCI has also increased the trade licence fees significantly. The fees for luxury hotels has been increased from Rs24,000 to Rs2.4 million per year.

Mayor Aziz justified the increase to Dawn after the session by saying that these rates were not revised for several years, and had been increased in the city's interest.

'The revenue to be generated from various fees, such as the trade licence...