Where are we headed?

I am an 82-year-old pensioner living in Islamabad and have an old 1800 cc car. In 2017, I paid Rs4884 as token tax including Rs384 as road tax. In 2018, I paid token tax of Rs5268 but the road tax remained the same. This year when I went to pay the token tax, I was charged Rs9600 as token tax with road tax amounting to Rs5000. The increase in the road tax is baffling to say the least. Who has increased the road tax? Has it been done with the permission of the honourable PM of Pakistan? If not, could the PM kindly take notice of it and ask the concerned ministry about it as to the rationale behind increasing road tax from Rs384 to Rs5000 in one go.

I request the authorities concerned to kindly withdraw this unreasonable increase in the road tax and adjust it in the next year’s token tax. Since 2018, the people of Pakistan have been burdened with enormous taxes, may they be concerning POL, electricity, gas or other day-to-day items / commodities. Where is this government heading? Gas prices haven’t been lowered, the exorbitant bills charged last year have not been refunded as per the promise of the ministers concerned and taxes are being increased every now and then. Despite this, the fiscal deficit remains exorbitant. No looted money has been retrieved. As per the FBR there is $ 190 billion outside the country, which can’t be brought back. It is high time some relief were given to the people.

Lt-Col (r) Arshad N Qureshi

Islamabad