KARACHI (Kashmir English): The Pakistan Goods Transport Alliance on Saturday announced a 15 percent increase in goods transport fares after the recent hike in petroleum prices.
Alliance President Malik Shahzad Awan demanded the withdrawal of the toll tax and withholding tax, saying that no relief is being given to the transport sector despite rising operating costs.
He also called for the abolition of toll taxes, withholding tax, and traffic challans, claiming that many transporters had been forced to park their vehicles due to what he described as unfavorable government policies.
Furthermore, Awan strongly criticised the latest increase in the prices of petroleum products and said that immediate relief is indispensable for the transport sector in the current situation.
Increase in fuel prices
Earlier on Friday, the federal government increased petrol and diesel prices for the next three days, after it enforced the new pricing mechanism to review the fuel prices on a daily basis.
As per the notification issued by the Petroleum Division, the petrol has been increased by Rs5.44 per litre and high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs31.05 per litre.
Following the rise, the new petrol price is fixed at Rs316.15 per litre, and diesel at Rs354.35 per litre.
Moreover, the Kerosene oil price has also increased by Rs 34.33 per liter. The new price has been fixed at Rs 276.66 per liter, the OGRA notification said.
The notification further stated that the new fuel prices will take effect on Saturday, July 18, and remain applicable until July 20.
In the previous weekly review, the government increased the prices of petrol and diesel by Rs13.18 and Rs13.80 per litre, setting the price at Rs310.71 and Rs323.30, respectively.
The revised fuel prices were announced after the federal government implemented a daily review mechanism for petroleum product rates.
Addressing a press conference earlier today, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik said the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) will determine the fuel prices daily based on the international market and will be updated on its website
He further said that the cabinet has decided to bring transparency to the entire fuel price system, stating that “Ogra would not just publish the fuel rates on its website, but also publish the factors leading to the price that we see in each petrol pump.”
