ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The federal government is weighing up a major relief plan to ease the burden of electricity bills for flood-hit families, while also putting together a compensation package for farmers who lost crops and livestock.
According to sources, officials are considering scrapping taxes and surcharges on power bills, including General Sales Tax (GST), fuel price adjustments, excise duty, fixed charges, and retailer sales tax. Income tax and other extra charges may also be taken off the table.
Federal Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain said the government will write off taxes on electricity bills for flood victims, while provincial authorities will waive land revenue dues.
He noted that some inflated bills had already been printed for affected areas, but the government would step in to provide immediate relief.
The minister also announced a forthcoming “farmer package” to make up for heavy agricultural losses. Initial surveys suggest that rice fields were hit hardest, with crop damage reaching up to 18 per cent in parts of Gujranwala division.
Large swathes of Punjab’s farmland have been left under water, displacing thousands of families. Just a day earlier, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had also called for an “agricultural emergency” and demanded that farmers’ electricity bills be waived.
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