Lahore’s new sanitation bill system: Collection through excise, how much burden will it bear on which consumers?

The Punjab government has decided on a new mechanism for collecting sanitation bills from citizens to improve and financially stabilize the sanitation system in Lahore. Under this new system, the sanitation bill will now be collected through the Excise Department, which will be implemented in a phased manner.

According to official sources, initially from January 2026, the sanitation bill will be collected on a monthly basis, while from June 2026, this system will be converted to annual billing. Officials say that the aim of this change is to streamline collections and provide permanent financial resources for the sanitation sector.

According to the new decision, houses up to 3 marla have been completely exempted from the sanitation bill, which is expected to provide relief to low-income citizens. However, for domestic consumers between 5 marla and 2 kanal, the sanitation bill has been fixed at Rs 300 to Rs 2,000, which will depend on the size and nature of the house.

For commercial consumers, the sanitation bill in urban areas has been kept at Rs 500 to Rs 2,000, while domestic consumers in rural areas will have to pay a sanitation bill of Rs 200 to Rs 400. For rural commercial consumers, this amount has been fixed at Rs 300 to Rs 1,000.

According to Excise Department officials, the sanitation bill will be linked to the existing records so that there is transparency in collection and citizens do not have to face the hassle of new bills again and again. Officials say that the billing procedure will be kept simple and the introduction of online payment facility is also being considered.

According to local government experts, collecting the sanitation bill through the excise department can reduce administrative problems. According to a civic affairs expert,

“If the money collected is actually spent on the sanitation system, the sanitation situation in Lahore can improve significantly, but transparency is essential for this.”

Experts say that the annual billing system can be relatively easy for citizens, provided that the amount is kept within a reasonable limit and there is a clear improvement in services