ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib on Wednesday said that tax collection in November 2021 is of Rs470 billion, an increase of 35 percent over last year’s tax collection, adding that despite corona, economic activities in Pakistan are booming and business is going well.
Addressing a press conference here, Farrukh Habib said that the 50-year record of inflation has been broken worldwide since the Covid-19 pandemic, the price of edible oil in the world market has increased by 100 percent.
There is 27 percent increase globally on wholesale price index due to inflation. All the items included in it are import items. Globally, the effects of the two-week decline in imports will be felt in January and February.
The government has tolerated the effect of rising petroleum prices by reducing its taxes. Globally, corona has led to an increase in inflation around the world.
The price of edible oil rose from 400 per tonne to 1,300 per tonne. Pakistan imports 70 percent of its pulses, so their prices have been affected by global inflation.
Inflation in the Eurozone was five percent, in the United States 6.2 percent, in Canada 4.7 percent, and in Germany, France and the United Kingdom, he said.
According to a recent report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the 50-year record of world inflation has been broken.
On the instructions of Prime Minister Imran Khan, steps are being taken to control inflation in the federation and provinces, he further said.
Taxes on petroleum products have been reduced to Rs400 billion so far.
He said that immediate steps were taken to bring down the prices of sugar that is why today the price of sugar in the country has come down by Rs60 per kg to Rs85/90.
The minister said due to timely action against hoarders, prices of sugar have been reduced, while prices of flour are stable now.
However, speaking on the occasion, spokesperson of the Ministry of Finance Muzammil Aslam expressed satisfaction that inflation rate of perishable items in Pakistan has been reduced to 3.5 per cent.
Aslam said that due to global inflation, the WPI has increased by 27 percent, kerosene by 77 percent, steel bar by 64 percent, diesel by 62 percent, and vegetable ghee by 57 percent. Includes all imported items. He said that inflation in food items in rural areas has come down by 5.50 percent, while in urban areas it has come down by two percent.
Aslam said that due to government measures, prices of onion, tomato, sugar, flour and pulses have come down.
With the fall in prices of petroleum products, inflation will gradually come down, he said.
The price of rice has remained stable throughout the year.
He said that the mini-budget would not affect common man, adding the economy in Pakistan is on a journey of recovery.
He said that the price of petrol has increased by 40 percent and consumption has increased by 15 percent.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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