The meeting concluded with a mutual determination to continue close collaboration between the Ministry of Petroleum and OGDC to overcome challenges and take advantage of opportunities in the energy sector. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
The federal government has collected over Rs 180 billion from the public as Petroleum Development Levy (PDL) in the last one and a half months amid heightened regional tensions, it has been revealed.
According to Finance Ministry sources, the collection of levy on petroleum products in Pakistan has increased extraordinarily.
They said that during the recent escalation and conflict between the US and Iran, the government collected over Rs 180 billion in PDL from consumers in about six weeks.
The data further shows that between July of the current fiscal year and mid-April, a total of Rs 1,234 billion was collected as oil tax. This represents an increase of around Rs400 billion compared to the same period of the previous financial year, marking a significant fiscal leap in the country’s history.
Monthly figures show that 157 billion rupees were collected in July, followed by 103.46 billion rupees in August. In September, collections stood at Rs112.85 billion, while in October, Rs143.48 billion was collected.
In November, levy collection reached Rs148.36 billion, while December recorded the highest monthly collection of the fiscal year at Rs162.46 billion.
In the following months, 108.76 billion rupees were collected in January, 120.39 billion rupees in February and 139.48 billion rupees in March. In the first 15 days of April alone, Rs 38 billion has already been collected.
Sources said a large part of the government’s revenue came from imported petroleum products. From July to mid-April, more than Rs598 billion in taxes were collected on imported gasoline and diesel. Rs 635.19 billion PDL was collected from crude oil derivatives between July and March.
