KARACHI (HRNW) – Citizens and consumers have raised serious concerns over the sales tax and service charges levied by “Cartel Lounge,” a restaurant located in Block 3 of the Gulistan-e-Jauhar neighborhood in Karachi, demanding an immediate investigation by federal and provincial tax authorities.
According to a copy of the bill obtained from the lounge, the restaurant management charged a 15% sales tax and an 8% service charge on a basic bill amount of Rs 3,106, bringing the total amount collected from the consumer to over Rs 3,820. However, the establishment failed to clarify on the receipt which government department this tax was being collected for. Furthermore, the mandatory tax registration numbers—such as the National Tax Number (NTN) or Sales Tax Registration Number (STRN) issued by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) or Sindh Revenue Board (SRB)—and other legal identification details were completely missing from the invoice.
Citizens argue that if a restaurant collects sales tax from consumers on behalf of the FBR, SRB, or any other official revenue body, it is a strict legal requirement to display the authorized tax invoice details and registration numbers transparently on the receipt. The lack of these approved details has fueled public suspicion that the heavily collected taxes might not be reaching the national exchequer and could instead be pocketed by the restaurant management.
In addition to the financial discrepancies, local residents have leveled serious allegations regarding the nature of the business. They stated that under the guise of a standard eatery, the establishment is allegedly operating an active shisha cafe, serving shisha to the youth late into the night. Public circles have expressed deep concern over this trend and have urged the district administration and law enforcement agencies to investigate the legality of these late-night operations in a residential area.
Demanding complete transparency regarding public collections, citizens have appealed to the FBR, Sindh Revenue Board, and local district authorities to conduct an immediate financial and operational audit of Cartel Lounge. They insisted that if any tax evasion, illegal service fees, or regulatory violations are discovered during the inspection, strict legal action should be initiated against those responsible.
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