Day: March 20, 2024

Islamabad (Tanveer Hashmi): The revelation of unequal and unfair taxation on electricity consumers in electricity bills has come to light. Electricity duty is imposed on consumers in electricity bills without any legal basis, as revealed in the inquiry by federal tax authorities. It has been found that consumers, especially low-income individuals, are bearing the burden of income tax and sales tax on their electricity bills, despite their income being below the taxable income threshold. Regardless of consumers’ income levels, the uniform imposition of electricity duty (ED) places a significant financial…

The federal government is grappling with the task of devising a strategy to tackle the ongoing power sector crises, with conflicting signals emerging from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) regarding the future of Distribution Companies (Discos). Under Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s leadership, the government appears undecided between two proposals: outsourcing Discos to the private sector through long-term concessional agreements or transferring control of Discos to the provinces. According to insights from power sector experts and officials familiar with Discos’ privatization, the government must consider implementing differential tariffs for Discos regardless…