Fact-check: No, Punjab has not imposed a tax on toilets

Social media posts claim that the Punjab government has introduced a Rs2,500 monthly tax on toilets, meaning households with multiple washrooms would have to pay thousands of rupees in additional charges. Some users also shared a bill showing Rs62,500 in charges paid by a hospital with 17 washrooms.

The claim is misleading.

Claim

On June 14, a user on X wrote: “Toilet tax has been implemented in Punjab; a monthly tax of Rs2,500 per toilet has been implemented.”

At the time of writing, the post had garnered more than 106,000 views and 455 likes.

Another user on X (Twitter) shared an alleged billing notice issued by the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) in Rahim Yar Khan to Nisar Medical Complex Hospital. The notice cites a Punjab Gazette notification dated July 20, 2023, and states that hospitals with more than 10 beds or washrooms, whichever is higher, will be charged Rs2,500 per unit.

The user captioned the post: “Toilet tax in Punjab. A hospital's 17 washrooms charged Rs62,500 per month in tax.”

Fact

Officials familiar with the matter confirmed that Punjab has not imposed any new toilet tax of Rs2,500 per washroom.

They explained that sewerage charges already existed, but as the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) expands its operations to additional districts in Punjab, some commercial establishments are receiving WASA bills for the first time. There is no sewerage charge on households based on the number of washrooms.

Abuzar Saeed, spokesperson for WASA, told Geo Fact Check over the phone that no new tax has been introduced. He said WASA was previously operating in a limited number of major cities in Punjab but has now expanded to other districts, including Rahim Yar Khan. As a result, hospitals, restaurants, hotels and other commercial establishments in these areas have started receiving WASA bills for the first time.

“Any hospital, hotel or establishment with more than 10 rooms is charged under the commercial tariff because its water usage is much higher,” Saeed said. “Where there are more than 10 rooms, the tariff is applied on a per-washroom basis.”

He further explained that charges for households are calculated according to the size of the property in marlas. In some areas, WASA bills housing societies directly, which then collects the charges from residents.

“If a domestic consumer has a water meter installed, the bill is calculated according to the meter reading. Otherwise, a routine average bill is issued under the marla-wise system,” he said.

Saeed also shared a Punjab Gazette notification issued by the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and WASA Lahore in August 2017.

The notification shows that private hospitals with more than 10 beds were already subject to sewerage charges calculated on a per-unit basis. It states that for hospitals with more than 10 beds, charges would be assessed according to the number of beds, baths, wash basins, sinks, taps or points, whichever is higher.

Meanwhile, Amir Nawaz, deputy director (Revenue) at WASA Rahim Yar Khan, told Geo Fact Check over the phone that the sewerage billing notice issued to Nisar Medical Complex Hospital relates to sewerage charges, not a tax.

He said that, under a government gazette notification issued in July 2023, hospitals with more than 10 beds are charged according to the prescribed commercial rates.

Verdict: Punjab has not introduced a new Rs2,500 monthly toilet tax. The charges cited in viral posts are existing WASA sewerage charges applicable to certain commercial establishments, not households.

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