It was reported in the paper the other day that a four percent hike in the electricity tariff was soon to be announced. It is a sad situation that we didn’t have any electricity a few days ago. But now that loadshedding has let up a little and we do have electricity, we will not able to afford it.
The public understands that the government’s subsidy on the electricity tariff is unsustainable but the government needs to phase out the subsidy gradually rather than trampling the public under a sudden increase. Also, maybe the government could target this subsidy a bit more by increasing the tariff rate for people whose usage exceeds a certain amount. This would mean that only people who can afford to pay will be targeted. The government also needs to catch electricity thieves as it is for their sins, that everybody else is paying.
SANA SALEEM
Lahore
