LAHORE – The tobacco sector of Pakistan has come under public radar over alleged losses of Rs567 billion to national kitty due to their inappropriate tax practices.
“#PakLoss_567Billion” is trending on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, with a news channel report, explaining that the World Bank has asked the Pakistani government to increase federal excise duty on tobacco sector.
The World Bank in its report, according to the TV report, highlighted that the duty collected by the government from this sector is insufficient. It said the government’s FED collection in 2021 stood at 0.5% of the GDP, while it was 0.19% from cigarette industry.
A user wrote, “567 billion has been lost as a result of the tax practices used by two large tobacco giants. It’s time to curb their power in order to safeguard the interests of our country over those of corporations”.
Here are more reactions from social media users:
