Another bad news for electricity consumers is the government has decided to impose a power-holding levy on each unit of electricity consumption. The ECC has approved a levy of Rs 3.82 per unit.
According to sources in the Power Division, the levy on the price of electricity will be imposed in a phased manner. After approval from Nepra, it will be Rs 31.74 per unit for electricity consumers. It has been approved to levy a power holding levy of 43 paise for February-March, while an additional levy of Rs.3.39 will be added from March to June. From July to October, an additional levy of Rs 43 paise will be levied, and the levy of Rs 3.39 will be abolished. Similarly, from November 2023 to June 2024, a levy of Rs 1.43 will be levied.
According to sources, the power-holding levy will not apply to consumers using 300 units. Lifeline and K Electric electricity customers will also be exempted from the powerholding levy. Meanwhile, the government has also decided to end relief of Rs 2.75 per unit for flood victims and agricultural consumers.
There is also a chance that the government is preparing for a hike in gas prices on IMF terms. The government is set to meet another IMF condition, which is likely to result in a rise in gas prices. The Economic Coordination Committee of the Federal Cabinet is likely to approve the hike in gas prices today. The committee meeting will be held today under the chairmanship of Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, in which a one-point agenda will be considered. In the ECC meeting’s summary regarding the increase in gas rates, it has been proposed to apply the price hike from January 1, 2023.
