A senior legal practitioner today strongly condemned the substantial taxation on petroleum products, describing the levy of nearly 39 per cent on each litre of petrol as the economic exploitation of the public.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Advocate Hasnain Ali Chohan, a prominent lawyer and senior leader of the Insaf Lawyers Forum Karachi, argued that the government was shifting the burden of its fiscal failures directly onto the masses. He specified that taxes amounting to Rs100.21 were being charged on a single litre of petrol, while Rs94.93 were being collected on high-speed diesel.
Advocate Hasnain Ali asserted that levies imposed under the heads of petroleum levy, customs duty, and a climate support levy were unjustified and contravened the principles of economic justice and public welfare.
The persistent rise in inflation, he said, had made life exceedingly difficult for ordinary citizens, with continuous price hikes in essential food items, electricity, gas, and transport fares severely impacting the middle and lower-income segments of society.
According to the advocate, the prevailing economic conditions have worsened to the point where almost half of the country’s population has fallen below the poverty line, a situation he described as “clear evidence of policy failure.”
He further stated that every increase in petrol and diesel prices triggers a fresh wave of inflation, with its repercussions felt across the agriculture, industry, and transport sectors, as well as on daily-use commodities.
Advocate Hasnain Ali demanded that the government immediately reduce the petroleum levy, withdraw all unnecessary taxes, and provide urgent relief to the general public.