The disclosure that the electricity consumers are being fleeced around 35 percent more than what they were paying before the latest increase in power tariff of six percent is revealing. For the people who are already under pressure of sky high prices of essential goods, this undisclosed swell that cumulatively increased their power bills by almost 50 percent above the pre-January paid bills is simply killing. Could the authorities be so cruel that they did not even find it appropriate to let the people know the rationale behind such a huge rise in the power bills? The affluent sections of society such as stock brokers, estate dealers and mega cartels like sugar, cement, textiles and oil companies evade taxes, while the burden is shifted on to the consumer through general sales tax, central excise duty and withholding tax.
The government is increasing the prices of power to achieve its budgetary targets. I should remind those sitting in Islamabad of what the ancient Roman Marcus Aurelius said long ago: “Poverty is the mother of all crimes.” If prices continue to increase, crime will inevitably increase. We may slide into abject poverty if the situation is not improved. If the escalation was inevitable because of an increase in world oil prices, the government should have withdrawn the 22 percent it is recovering as federal tax.