为应对中东紧张局势引发的燃油危机,政府于周日批准对豪华汽车使用的高辛烷值燃油每升大幅加征200卢比税费。总理办公室今日声明称,总理夏巴兹·谢里夫在主持视频会议时宣布,当前高辛烷值燃油每升100卢比的税费将额外上调200卢比,使总税费达到每升300卢比。
政府预计此项措施每月可节省90亿卢比,节余资金将专项用于为普通民众提供救济。声明补充道:"这一决定将减轻国家经济负担,成本将由最富裕的群体承担。"声明进一步明确,此次上调仅适用于豪华汽车使用的高辛烷值燃油。普通车辆的汽油价格以及公共交通和航空票价将保持不变。
声明指出,总理已关注到高辛烷值燃油成本上涨问题,并指示相关部门制定应对策略。财政部长奥朗则布、新闻部长阿塔乌拉·塔拉尔、石油部长阿里·佩尔韦兹·马利克及政府高级官员出席了视频会议。
此前在拉合尔举行的新闻发布会上,财政部长奥朗则布表示正在为符合条件的群体制定针对性救济方案。他邀请公众就救济方案提交建议,并称包括石油、信息技术和财政部在内的所有部门正在共同制定联合策略。
奥朗则布指出,夏巴兹·谢里夫总理在对全国讲话中详细讨论了国家面临的经济与能源挑战,强调地区紧张局势和类战争状态可能影响能源基础设施。
两周前,由于持续的美以和伊朗冲突扰乱供应链并将原油价格推至两年高位,政府将柴油和汽油价格每升大幅上调55卢比(涨幅20%)。汽油价格涨幅超过国际市场涨幅,因政府选择向摩托车和汽车车主收取超出所需的费用,以补贴主要用于公共交通和农业领域的柴油消费。然而,总理昨晚宣布,联邦政府目前已两次承担燃油价格上涨的负担而未将其转嫁给公众。
此后,联邦和各省政府推出了一系列紧缩措施,包括增加每周休息日、削减部长免费汽油配额、限制礼宾车辆数量,并提议为学生提供燃料补贴。
The government on Sunday approved a significant Rs200 per litre increase in the fuel levy on high-octane used in luxury vehicles, in a move to cope with the fuel crisis amid Middle East tensions.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) today, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, chairing a video-link meeting, announced that the current levy of Rs100 per litre on high-octane fuel would be raised by an additional Rs200, bringing the total levy to Rs300 per litre.
The government expects the measure to save Rs9 billion per month, with the savings earmarked to provide relief to the general public.
“This decision will reduce the economic burden on the country; the wealthiest segment will bear the cost,” the statement added.
The statement further clarified that the increase applies only to high-octane fuel used in luxury cars. Petrol prices for ordinary vehicles, as well as fares for public transport and air travel, will remain unchanged.
The prime minister had taken notice of the rising cost of high-octane fuel and instructed the relevant ministry to devise a strategy, the statement said.
The video-link meeting was attended by Finance Minister Aurangzeb, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, and senior government officials.
Earlier during a press conferance in Lahore, Finance Minister Aurangzeb said that a targeted relief package was being prepared for deserving segments of society.
He invited the public to submit their suggestions for the relief package and said that all ministries, including Petroleum, IT, and Finance, were working on a joint strategy.
Aurangzeb said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had discussed the country’s economic and energy challenges in detail during his address to the nation, noting that regional tensions and war-like conditions could affect energy infrastructure.
Two weeks ago, the government sharply increased diesel and petrol prices by Rs55 per litre or 20% — due to the ongoing US-Israel and Iran war, which has disrupted supply chains and pushed crude oil prices to two years’ highest level.
The increase in petrol prices was more than the surge in the international market, as the government chose to collect more money than required from motorcyclists and car owners to subsidise the use of diesel, mostly by the public transport and the agriculture sector. However, the prime minister announced last night that the federal government had twice now absorbed the burden of the fuel price increases instead of passing it on to the public.
Both federal and provincial governments have since introduced a range of austerity steps, including an additional weekly holiday, cutting free petrol allocations for ministers, limiting protocol vehicles, and proposing subsidised fuel for students.