Pakistan's mobile phone users paid Rs 3.38tr in tax during 5 years

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Finance has disclosed that over Rs3 trillion has been collected in taxes from mobile phone users over the last five years.

The ministry provided these tax collection figures to the National Assembly, indicating that Rs3.38 trillion was amassed from mobile users during this period.

As of the end of August 2024, Pakistan recorded 193.098 million cellular subscribers.

In a related development, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics has reported an alarming 800% surge in gas prices within a mere four months.

A session of the National Assembly, chaired by Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah, was convened to discuss the details of these price increases.

While presenting information on food inflation, he noted that the price of sugar has escalated by 53.5% and palm oil by 61% over the past five years.

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The Bureau also indicated that the prices of soybean oil, wheat, and crude oil have risen by 35% during the same timeframe. Officials have linked the overall inflation to the hikes in electricity and gas prices as part of the IMF program.

Media reports revealed that the government increased gas tariffs by 520% in November 2023 and by 319% in February 2024.

Likewise, electricity rates saw an increase of 35% in November 2023 and 75% in February 2024.

Bureau officials emphasized that the significant rise in electricity and gas prices has been a major factor contributing to the overall inflation.