The All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA) on Thursday said the decision of the government to jack up General Sales Tax (GST) on sale of CNG by nine percent is unjust and unilateral.
Stakeholders were not taken into confidence regarding the decision to revise GST on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) which came as a great surprise, said APCNGA Supreme Council Chairman Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha. In a statement, he said all gas consuming sectors including a majority of other sectors were paying 17 percent GST, adding that CNG sector was already the most taxed sector.
He said the procedure to collect GST needed improvement as CNG operators had been denied adjustments in GST on purchases of diesel and electricity.
Paracha said the decision will increase retail price of CNG, which will hurt 3.5 million motorists using the fuel and 80 million people who use the economical fuel on a daily basis.
Despite being heavily taxed, the CNG sector was being denied provision of natural gas to run operations, said Paracha.
He said some influential elements were bent upon bankrupting CNG station owners to deprive masses from economical fuel and to realise a plot to import costly liquid gasses.
