ISLAMABAD – The Ministry of Finance revealed collected over Rs3 trillion in wake of taxes from mobile phone users over the past five years. The ministry presented these tax collection details to the National Assembly, stating that Rs3.38 trillion were collected from mobile users during past five years. As of the end of August 2024, Pakistan had 193.098 million cellular subscribers. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics has revealed a staggering 800% increase in gas prices in just four months. A session of the National Assembly was held under the chairmanship of Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah, during which details of price hikes were presented. Presenting the details of inflation in food items, he stated that over the past five years, the price of sugar has increased by 53.5%, and the price of palm oil has risen by 61%. According to the Bureau, the prices of soybean oil, wheat, and crude oil have increased by 35% in the last five years. Officials attributed the overall inflation to the increase in electricity and gas prices under the IMF program. Officials told media that the government raised the gas tariff by 520% in November 2023 and by 319% in February 2024. Similarly, electricity rates were increased by 35% in November 2023 and by 75% in February 2024. The Bureau officials stated that the extraordinary increase in electricity and gas prices contributed to the overall rise in inflation. More from this category Copyright ©2024. Reproduction of this website's content without express written permission from 'Daily Pakistan' is strictly prohibited.