While addressing the media in Islamabad yesterday, the federal Information minister Pervaiz Rashid, justified an increase in sales tax by saying that “when the petrol price was Rs107.97 per litre, consumers had to pay Rs18.36 of tax per litre”.“…now the petrol price is Rs70.29 per litre, and the consumers have to pay Rs19.32, just 96 paisas more than previous figure of sales tax.” He claimed that POL prices in Pakistan were the lowest in South Asia.
Rashid argued that the consumers saved Rs37.68 per litre, and an increase of 96 paisas in sales tax is ‘nothing’.
He said the government used to get Rs68 billion in terms of revenue collection from petroleum products, which has now been reduced to Rs28 billion.
“The government is bearing a loss of Rs40 billion by reducing the petroleum prices on account of revenue collection,” he remarked.
The federal minister also said that 2015 will be the year of launching mega projects in the country.The Pakistan Economic Corridor, energy-related projects, and dams for hydroelectric electricity will soon be inaugurated, he added.
