ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to extend the deadline for gas and electricity bills by three months because of the countrywide lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus.
“People don’t have to pay their gas and electricity bills immediately,” announced Adviser to PM on Finance Hafeez Shaikh on Thursday. The government has set aside Rs1 billion to incur these losses, he added.
Shaikh, while speaking to the media at PM House, said that the government will spend Rs70 billion to make up for the decrease in petrol and diesel prices.
“We have removed all duties from all food products,” he claimed, adding that the government has procured Rs200 billion wheat for farmers and small landowners. “We don’t want there to be any contraction in the economy.”
The government is going to spend Rs107 billion to refund businessmen, he said. Thirty billion rupees will be given to DLTL (The Drawback of Local Taxes and Levies), Rs10 billion to sales tax for exporters, Rs52 billion will be spent on refund of sales tax, and Rs15 billion on duty drawback.
The funds are being released and it will continue till next week, he remarked.
We are in constant contact with all provincial governments and are doing our best to help the people in these crucial times, he added.
