ISLAMABAD (Mehtab Haider): The government collected a staggering Rs. 490 billion from silent electricity consumers in the form of Withholding Tax (WHT) and General Sales Tax (GST) through power bills during the fiscal year 2024-25. This marks a significant decline of Rs. 110 billion compared to Rs. 600 billion collected in the previous fiscal year.
The reduction in tax collection is attributed to a growing shift among households toward solar power solutions and the underperformance of the industrial sector.
According to provisional data from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), salaried individuals contributed Rs. 552 billion in taxes during FY 2024-25, up from Rs. 367 billion the previous year — an increase of Rs. 185 billion.
As per the Economic Survey, total electricity consumption in the country fell by 3.6% to 80,111 GWh from July to March 2025, compared to 83,109 GWh during the same period last year. Key reasons include energy conservation measures, rising electricity costs, off-grid solar adoption, and reduced industrial activity.
The household sector’s share in power consumption increased to 49.6% (39,728 GWh) from 47.3% (39,286 GWh), while industrial usage declined sharply from 28,830 GWh to 21,082 GWh.
Furthermore, FBR collected Rs. 235 billion from the real estate sector on property transactions — Rs. 118 billion from Section 236C and Rs. 117 billion from Section 236K.
