Senate panel briefed on plan to collect Rs15 radio fee in electricity bills

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has prepared a summary for collection of Rs15 radio licence fee through electricity bills.

The Ministry of Finance on Thursday informed the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenues that the information ministry had prepared a summary for increasing TV/radio license fees from Rs35 to Rs50.

The Senate Standing Committee on Finance met on Thursday under Senator Saleem Mandviwalla at the Parliament House.

The committee’s chairman raised the issue of swelling volume of Hundi/Hawala. The committee remarked that annually $6 to $8 billion remittances came through hundi business, adding if the State Bank tightened measures for remittances, it would encourage a decrease in Hundi business. The governor SBP said that remittances of $27 billion were sent in the last financial year, adding, “We are attempting to receive all remittances through the banking channel.”

However, the governor SBP refused to share any exact volume of remittances coming through Hundi/Hawala and stated that the remittances through banking channels would go up in coming months of the current fiscal year. In the wake of inflationary pressures that prevailed in different western countries and other parts, the remittances went down, he added.

The SBP governor said that Pakistan would become a part of cross border payment system in Gulf countries that would help boost up remittances through official channels.