A FEW days ago, I went from Karachi to Hyderabad, covering a distance of about 165km. I filled fuel tank of my 1,300cc car with about Rs1,000, which was almost 9.5 litres of petrol, where Rs41 per litre tax was charged, while I paid Rs389 as tax in total for petrol.

Upon reaching toll plaza I paid Rs270 as toll tax, then Rs30 more at Jamshoro toll. Collectively, I paid Rs689 as tax to the government just for travelling from Karachi to Hyderabad.

I returned the same day and spent Rs1,378 on tax. Now this government keeps calling for low taxation by public. I am a tax paying citizen having registered with the Federal Board of Revenue, paying vehicle and all other taxes, yet I had to pay a huge amount of tax for just a round trip from Karachi to Hyderabad.

A country where no minimum wage is implemented, there are no checks on the wage rates, and no per hour charges can be expected, we citizens are charged huge taxes, which is a huge financial burden on the poverty-stricken people.

The government should take notice of these huge taxes. Tax relaxation for exporters is a good thing, but what about poor public which struggles to earn a decent living for two square meals? Don’t they deserve such relaxations?

Muhammad Usman Memon
Karachi

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2020