The federal government will introduce a low-cost petrol programme for bike owners, rickshaw drivers and vehicles up to 800cc. According to media sources, the federal government has requested information on registered bikes in every province.
The provinces have been asked to furnish the information to link it to NADRA by the Excise and Taxes Department of Islamabad. After cross-checking, the government will start providing cheap petrol to the masses. The Balochistan Excise and Taxation Department initially provided the data of 500,000 registered bikes in the province to the federal government. Meanwhile, Islamabad has started evaluating the data to launch the scheme.
- Cheap Petrol Plan
The government approved a subsidy of Rs. 50 per litre for the lower income group of society last month. Musadik Masood Malik, the minister of state for petroleum, declared that the government of Pakistan would tax the wealthy an additional Rs. 100/litre for petrol.
According to Malik, the government would use the higher costs paid by the rich to offer subsidised petrol to the low-income group, making it more expensive and cheaper for the rich. The announcement was made the day after low-income individuals were given relief by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Malik elaborated on the subsidy, stating that PM Shehbaz had ordered the ministry to increase the support to Rs100 and that the rich will be charged Rs100 more while the poor would be accused Rs100 less. The economists have explained the process of a possible implementation of this program.
It is important to note that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) requested a comprehensive plan from the government after expressing concern about this idea. The experts think that introducing this scheme is one of the factors delaying the release of the next loan payment to Pakistan.
