ISLAMABAD: The government is charging only 16.4 per cent taxes on petrol, which was around 33 per cent less than the time of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) when the tax rate was as high as 52 per cent, a senior government official said on Friday.
In a tweet, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar said: “The current petroleum development levy (PDL) is Rs5.62 and sales tax is Rs11.76 and the total tax on petrol is Rs17.38/litre.”
Umar said that the base price of one litre petrol was Rs105.92 and the total price was Rs123.30; hence, the taxation rate/litre was 16.4 per cent, which is less by one-third of the time of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) government when the tax was 52 per cent.”
The minister was responding to a tweet by the Pakistan People’s Party leader Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui who referred Asad Umar’s tweet written in February 2016 when he had said: “Petrol price without taxes is Rs46.80 and taxes (PDL+GST) on it are Rs24.50 so the total tax on petrol is now equal to 52 per cent.”
Addressing the planning minister in his tweet, Wahab said: “Can u please do the same mathematics now?”
After presenting the details of taxation on petrol, the minister asked Wahab “anything else do you want to ask?”