Rs15 radio fee may be added to electricity bills

Power consumers already paying Rs35 as TV fee will now be charged Rs50

ISLAMABAD:

Amidst the ever-increasing inflation and soaring power and gas rates, the government has decided to impose an additional burden on the masses by levying an extra Rs15 as a radio fee on their monthly electricity bills.

The revelation came to light during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue, chaired by Senator Saleem Mandviwalla at the Parliament House on Thursday.

Officials from the Ministry of Finance disclosed that the federal government aims to address the financial crisis faced by Radio Pakistan by imposing supplementary charges on electricity consumers.

According to the finance ministry officials, consumers will be charged Rs35 as a TV fee and an additional Rs15 as a radio fee. The revenue collected from users will be utilized to pay the salaries of Radio Pakistan employees.

It has been reported that the Information Ministry has prepared a proposal to implement the Rs15 radio fee in electricity bills. As per the proposal, the state TV fee will be increased from Rs35 to Rs50, with Rs15 from this amount being allocated to Radio Pakistan to meet its financial requirements. The decision is said to be based on the recommendations of the Senate standing committee.
Earlier in February, a Senate panel proposed the inclusion of a separate "radio fee" of Rs500 during the registration of all vehicles (excluding motorcycles). The aim was to generate an additional annual revenue of Rs15 billion to support the financially troubled Radio Pakistan. The proposal emerged during a sub-committee meeting chaired by PML-N's Irfan Siddiqui.

Meanwhile, during the meeting, the Senate Standing Committee on Finance was informed that the Finance Division's Budget Wing had received 55 recommendations for the Financial Budget 2023 from the Senate panel. However, most of these proposals were related to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

Upon reviewing the recommendations adopted by the Revenue Division, the committee noted that many suggestions were agreed upon, except those that were subject to intervention by the IMF.

With input from APP