Ameer-e- Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, has strongly criticized the government’s petroleum levy policy on petrol, calling it an act of extortion against citizens, accusing authorities of imposing excessive taxes on citizens without providing adequate public services.
Speaking at the ‘Bano Qabil’ graduation ceremony in Multan, Punjab, Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman said the government’s claim that rising global oil prices were behind fuel price increases was misleading.
He said the petroleum levy was originally introduced to increase refinery and storage capacity, but had instead become a financial burden on the public.
“The government has collected Rs. 8.5 trillion from the pockets of the people as petroleum levy,” he claimed, describing the petroleum levy as a form of “exploitation” imposed on citizens.
Hafiz Naeem said that the public was paying a tax of Rs.125 on every liter of petrol.
He said ordinary Pakistanis were already paying taxes at multiple levels, including through electricity bills, gas bills, mobile phone cards, and food items.
He argued that even people who were not directly covered by the tax system were paying indirectly through higher prices.
He also accused the government of not using tax revenue to carry out the responsibilities it is supposed to fulfill.
Ameer-e- Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan claimed that out of Pakistan’s Rs.18 trillion budget, Rs. 8 trillion is spent on the interest payments on foreign loan
Hafiz Naeem said around 40 percent of Pakistan’s population was living below the poverty line and criticized the government for increasing taxes while failing to deliver better services.