KARACHI: Consumers have been hit hard over the rising prices of petrol, diesel and transportation charges besides paying high utility bills of power and gas in the last four years.

Petrol and diesel are now selling at around Rs 53.70 and Rs 38 per litre as compared to Rs 37 and Rs 18 per litre in 2002.

Currently the government is netting Rs 14 per litre in terms of taxes and duties on petrol which include Rs 6.22 as petroleum development surcharge (PDL), 88 paisa excise duty and Rs seven general sales tax.

In diesel, the government pockets around Rs five per litre which includes Rs 4.75 per litre as sales tax and zero (PDL).

In 2002, revenue earning through PDL on petrol was Rs 11.99 per litre while PDL on diesel was Rs 3.05 per litre ,besides 88 paisa excise duty.

The current rate of Light Arab Crude Price is $64 per barrel as compared to $27 a barrel while diesel price in 2002 was $31 per barrel as compared to current price of $77 per barrel.

Because of increase in petroleum prices, transporters are now charging Rs 6.00-8.50 as fare on buses as compared with Rs 3.50-6.00. Mini bus fares now range between Rs 7.00-9.00 as compared with Rs 4.50-6.50 while coaches’ fares now hover between Rs 11-12 as compared with Rs 8.00-9.00.

President Karachi Transport Itehad Syed Irshad Hussain Bukhari linked the price hike in transport fares to phenomenal increase in diesel prices.

In gas sector, the tariff for domestic consumers (first slab up to 100 cubic metres) currently stands at Rs 86 per mmbtu as compared to Rs 67.95 while in second slab (from 101 to 200 cubic metres) the rate is Rs 162.07 per mmbtu as compared to

Rs102.37, while in third slab (201-300 cubic metres) the rate is Rs259.29 as compared with Rs163.78. In the fourth slab (over 300 cubic metres), the current rate is Rs 337.30 as compared with Rs 213.06 per mmbtu in 2002.

Power rate for domestic consumers is Rs 4.1 per kwh as compared with Rs 3.7 in 2002. Here the price of furnace oil, a main source of thermal power generation by the KESC, cannot be ignored.

Furnace oil price is now being quoted at Rs 23,793 per ton as compared with Rs 11,399 per ton in 2002. The government eats up Rs 3,529 per ton in terms of taxes and duties.