Page 127 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (IV)_Neat

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MUNICIPALITIES

MANAMA MUNICIPALITY

(From the report by Mr. Mohomed Saleh Shattar, Municipal Secretary.)

Statement of Revenue and Expenditure for the year 1368 :—

Revenue Expenditure
Rs. a. p. Rs. a. p.
Shop tax .......................... 1,28,697 o 9 Administration :
House tax 90,413 11 6 Staff salaries, etc. 52,085 o o
Government Grant 36,000 o o Office expenses 11,358 o o
Transport 48,247 13 o
Share of Vehicle tax .. *3.783 5 o
Rent of Municipal Property .. 8,740 2 o Works :
Garden Revenue 3.337 *2 0 Town cleaning 87,198 14 3
Fees from butchers and Town lighting 10,190 10 o
slaughter house 9. *57 8 o Road metalling and repairing.. 69,010 1 9
Building and mason fees *,37* 8 o Widening roads 1,791 o o
Miscellaneous taxes 68,938 14 6 Pauper burials .. 3.45* *3 o
Upkeep of Municipal property 5,647 10 o
3.6o,439 *3 9
Muharraq shares in certain
taxes *9.594 *2 3
Upkeep of public washing
places and rubbish bins 41 o o
Upkeep of drains and sewers 3*3 ** o
Miscellaneous 24,840 15 3
3.33.77* 4 6
Surplus 26,668 9 3

Total Rs. 3,60,439 13 9

Cash in Bank at the end of
1367 .. Rs. 80,274 3 8
Cash in Bank at the end of
Total Rs. 3,60,439 13 9 1368 .. Rs. 1,09,003 6 1

The total revenue was Rs. 3,60,525 and the expenditure was Rs. 3,33,771. The revenue was higher
than in the previous year by Rs. 91,525, expenditure increased by Rs. 57,600. The increase in revenue
was due to higher receipts from all sources of income. That a town as important and prosperous as
Manama should only be able to produce municipal revenue of 3A lakhs is a remarkable fact. The reason
is because the members of the Council, who are leading landowners, steadfastly oppose any increase in the
municipal house tax notwithstanding the rising cost of the services which are supplied by the Municipality
for the benefit of the inhabitants of Manama. When this matter is discussed the Council invariably
suggests that the municipal revenue should be increased by a tax on petrol or an additional customs charge,
to be collected by the Government and paid to the Municipality ; neither of these proposals are acceptable
to the Government.
Manama now contains 5,703 houses, of which 3,095 are stone, 2,608 arc saaf (palm branch). If
the average number of occupants of a house is six the population of Manama is now in the neighbourhood
of 35,000. Out of 5,703 houses, 2,700 arc let, these produce house tax amounting to Rs. 6,900 per month ;
the houses which arc occupied by their owners, about 3,000 stone and saaf buildings, produce a monthly
revenue of about Rs. 4,700. No house, occupied by its owner, pays more than Rs. 5 per month in house