Pakistan News: People demonstrated against the increasing tax on electricity bills, saying - there is no money to pay the bill

Amid the steep hike in fuel cost adjustment (FCA) charges on electricity bills, on Monday, many people holding banners and placards in anger took to the streets and gathered in front of Peshawar Electric Supply Company's office in Saidu Sharif.

Due to taxation on energy bills, residents of Amankot, Faizabad, Rahimabad, Saidu Sharif, Gul Kada, Panar, and other suburbs of Mingora marched and protested from their respective areas and later marched towards Swat Press Club, where their leaders and members of the local government claimed that the bills for the current month are heavily burdened with FCA and other taxes.

6500 bill came instead of two thousand rupees

Izhar Ali, a resident of Amankot, said, “My actual electricity bill, the cost of units consumed, is Rs 2,000, but the total bill exceeds Rs 6,500, which includes FCA and other taxes. I am a daily wage laborer and I do not have enough money to pay the bills heavily.

Another person, Abdul Khaliq, a resident of the Miyangano Cham area, said that his salary is Rs 18,000 and he received an electricity bill of Rs 21,000 with an FCA of over Rs 10,000, condemning the inflation in energy bills.

Swat was a tax-free zone

In addition, the agitators said that Swat was a tax-free zone, and the collection of any tax from the people was illegal. But now they protest against the introduction of FCA and other taxes on electricity bills.

According to Dawn, consumers of 20 union councils of Rajar tehsil gathered at Sheva Adda raising slogans against the government with electricity bills in hand.

When PESCO office officials refused to meet the accused protesters, the protesters also blocked the Swabi-Mardan road.

Some consumers tore electricity bills.

The protesters demanded the government withdraw the FCA from their electricity bills.

LNG price hike

Pakistan had cut fuel oil imports from the second half of 2018 as LNG prices were low but had to switch back to oil several times from July 2021 due to skyrocketing LNG prices. Tenders for July were canceled due to high prices and low participation as the nation is already taking action to deal with the widespread blackout.

The rapid depletion of foreign exchange reserves is the result of Pakistan's double deficit inflation and lack of foreign exchange inflows. Inflation in Pakistan hit the double-digit mark in July, the biggest increase in nearly six years.

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