Missing DC rates halt registrations, stamp sales; Rs500m daily revenue loss feared
RAWALPINDI:
Property transactions across Rawalpindi district have ground to a halt after the district administration failed to issue revised official property valuation rates for the 2026-27 financial year, despite 12 days having elapsed since the start of the new fiscal year.
The delay in notifying the Deputy Commissioner’s (DC) minimum official property values for residential, commercial and rural areas has effectively paralysed the district’s real estate market, with no property registrations taking place over the past fortnight.
Officials said property registrars have been unable to process sale deeds in the absence of the revised valuation schedule. The situation has been further compounded by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) not yet issuing its updated property valuation tables, leaving the entire property transfer system suspended.
The prolonged impasse has also halted the sale of stamp papers required for property transactions for the past two weeks, resulting in significant financial losses to the government.
According to estimates, the Revenue Department is losing approximately Rs500 million in revenue each day due to the suspension of property registrations.
With transaction activity at a standstill, staff at property registration offices remain largely idle, while property dealers say business across the district has virtually collapsed.
The delay has also affected the Punjab Excise and Taxation Department, which has yet to prepare revised property tax bills for the current financial year. Officials said the department’s taxation framework is linked to the Deputy Commissioner’s notified property valuation rates, making it impossible to calculate and issue commercial and residential property tax bills until the revised schedule is officially released.
Under the annual valuation exercise, the Deputy Commissioner reassesses minimum official property prices for residential, commercial and rural localities across the district.
While annual revisions were traditionally limited to around 10%, stakeholders claim that increases over the past three years have ranged from 20% to as much as 500%, prompting legal challenges before the Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC).
Sources in the Deputy Commissioner’s Office said the revised valuation list had already been finalised but was reviewed following the appointment of the new Deputy Commissioner. The notification is now expected to be issued on July 15.
Reacting to the delay, Hasan Shah, Vice President of the Property Dealers Association, said the issue had become an annual problem that unnecessarily disrupted business activity.
“The valuation schedule should be finalised by June 30 and notified on July 1 or 2 each year so that property transactions continue without interruption,” he said.
Waheed Awan, a representative of the Stamp Vendors’ Union, said stamp paper sales had remained suspended for the past two weeks because the applicable property valuations had not been notified.
“Stamp papers can only be issued once the official valuation rates are available. We urge the district administration to release the revised property valuation list without further delay,” he said.
According to industry figures, Rawalpindi district normally records 350 to 400 property registrations and 150 to 250 powers of attorney each day. However, all such transactions have remained suspended during the past two weeks, bringing the district’s property market to a complete standstill.
