Pakistan: Federal government proposed to impose tax on solar panel users

The federal government is considering a proposal put forth by the Central Power Purchasing Agency to levy tax on individuals using solar panels for residential or commercial purposes, ARY News reported.

According to the sources, the CPPA has proposed a tax of Pakistani currency (PKR) 2,000 per kilowatt on residential and commercial consumers installing 12 kilowatts or more. According to ARY News, the CPPA's proposal initially sent to the Ministry of Energy (Power Division) for approval, has now been forwarded to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for final authorization.

Following the prime minister's endorsement, consumers opting for 12-kilowatt solar panels will incur a tax of PKR 24,000. Simultaneously, the federal government is assessing the pricing of solar panels, and considering suggestions to lower their costs, as per ARY News. Earlier, on Friday, Sindh Minister for Jails Ali Hasan Zardari announced plans to transition prisons across the province to solar energy. As per the details, 200 to 600KV solar kits would be installed in the jails across the province to shift fans installed in the prisoner barracks to solar technology.

Zardari said the work to shift Karachi Central Jail, Women's Jail and Landhi Jail on solar power has already been initiated, while in the second phase jails of Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Badin, Sanghar, Khairpur, Ghotki, Jacobabad, Sukkur will be shifted to the solar technology.

Meanwhile, the government employees of major institutions staged protests at Karachi Port on Friday.

The strike caused a backlog in import and export traffic since containers were left at the port, with no clearance in place, according to ARY News. As per details, the strike was conducted by Pakistan Standard and Quality Control officers and employees at the Karachi Port. The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) former vice president claimed that the employees started the walkout because bonuses and incentives were being withheld.