Heavy duties on cars add to the high prices of local vehicles and make them unreachable for a middle-income masses
KARACHI: I am a prospective car-buyer and I am groaning at the thought of buying a car because prices of Pakistan-made vehicles have increased. This is due to the additional duty imposed in the mini-budget. I aspire to be a patriotic Pakistani and I want to patronise Pakistani products, but my pocket tells me otherwise. My personal financial affairs do not allow me to spend money beyond a certain limit.
The heavy duties on cars add to the high prices of local vehicles and make them unreachable for a middle-income person like me. So that only leaves me the option to go for an old, used, imported car. I am not sure whether that car will be reliable on local roads or whether it would come with a warranty. Nor am I aware if the imported used car will have after-sales service or if there would be a certified technician available in Pakistan to fix it if and when it breaks down. Unfortunately, this is the only choice I have.
Sami Ibrahim
Published in The Express Tribune, December 11th, 2015.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
