Former finance minister and PML-N leader Miftah Ismail explained the solution to expensive electricity.
Mufta Ismail said during a conversation in Geo News program Naya Pakistan that electricity generation and distribution companies must be privatized immediately.
He added that building new dams will take a lot of time, we have to go to wind and solar energy immediately.
The former finance minister also said that 2 thousand billion rupees of capacity charges have to be paid to the companies every year.
He said that by talking to the IMF, relief can be given to the consumers of up to 200 units of electricity.
Miftah Ismail said that the current caretaker prime minister is not to blame for high electricity bills, we have not been reforming for the last 20 to 30 years.
He said that in 2021-22, 1350 billion rupees were given as subsidy to the electricity department, the same amount of billions have been given to the electricity department in 2022-23.
The former finance minister said that we kept on increasing the revolving credit, electricity theft did not stop, all the losses are being borne by today’s consumer.
He said that those who do not pay the electricity bill also have to bear the consequences of paying the bills, we have not made reforms and are suffering the consequences today.
Miftah Ismail further said that the government can remove sales tax from electricity bills if it wants, but the target has to be achieved. The question is, if the sales tax is removed from the bill, where to collect it?
He said that if they avoid imposing sales tax on property, agricultural income, services sector, then they will impose it only on the poor, which is being done. .
The former finance minister said that electricity bills have increased excessively in Pakistan. When I was a minister, Shahbaz Sharif had called not to increase the price of electricity for those with 200 units.
He said that at that time we had talked to the International Monetary Fund for customers with 200 units and the IMF had agreed.
Miftah Ismail added that the government can at least still reduce the taxes of domestic consumers from 200 units to 300 units, it will just have to ask the IMF.
He said that if we talk to the IMF on the issue of bills, they will be accepted, Pakistan’s governance is poor, we cannot do anything here.
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