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IMF wants govt to pass on Rs65bn burden to power consumers

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  • Government has agreed with IMF that Rs55 billion would be passed on to consumers. 
  • Remaining Rs10 billion would be absorbed through subsidy.
  • Pakistan’s cash-bleeding power sector is moving rapidly towards bankruptcy.

ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has asked Pakistan to pass on Rs65 billion to consumers of electricity which has been deferred in the shape of Fuel Price Adjustments (FPA) during the peak of last summer season.

Out of the total outstanding amount of Rs65 billion on account of deferment of FPA in the electricity bills in the current fiscal year, the government has agreed with the IMF that Rs55 billion would be passed on to consumers and that would be recovered through bills. The remaining Rs10 billion would be absorbed through the allocation of subsidy amount.

In a grim situation, Pakistan’s cash-bleeding power sector is moving rapidly towards bankruptcy, as its total accumulated losses might climb up to Rs1,734 billion for the current fiscal year with the adoption of a status quo approach. 

On the other hand, the consumers consider themselves voiceless because the word reform means hiking of tariffs, but actually it results in jumping theft in this sector.

Out of the total accumulated losses of Rs1,700 to Rs1,800 billion, there is a possibility of a subsidy of Rs1,000 billion and around Rs700 to 800 billion piling up in the monster of circular debt if no remedial measures are taken by the government.

Now, the multilateral creditors, including IMF/World Bank, are asking the government to come up with plans to finance the un-budgeted subsidies, including the K-Electric subsidy for which the Ministry of Finance allocated Rs26 billion against revised projections of Rs162 billion, surfacing a gap of Rs136 billion where no amount was available to bridge this gap.

The same scenario prevailed for the Zero Rating Industry (ZRI) and Kissan Package for which the government did not make subsidy allocations of Rs118 billion and Rs28 billion respectively in the current fiscal year.

The IMF also raised concerns over the failure to receive a deferred payment of bills on account of Fuel Price Adjustment, which is estimated to cost Rs65 billion. The bill recovery was reduced from the original target of 93.58% to 92%, creating a gap of Rs55 billion in the current fiscal year. 

The theft of electricity target is also missed as the Transmission and Distribution (T&D) losses target was revised upward from 15.83% to 16.27%, which would result in a deficit of Rs31 billion.

The generation cost recovery is going to cause a financial loss of Rs63 billion. Rs24 billion for May-23 and Jun-23 FCA and Rs39 billion for Q3 & Q4 FY-23 Quarterly Tariff Adjustment (QTA) would be recovered in FY-24.

The hike in markup in recent months also jumped up liabilities of the power sector as the markup on IPPs and Power Holding Company increased from Rs185 billion to Rs249 billion, registering an increase of Rs64 billion.

The K-Electric resolution of subsidy will cause an additional burden of Rs136 billion for which the Finance Division did not make any budgetary allocation in the budget.

In the wake of less demand for power from 45 billion units to 40 billion units in the first quarter of the current fiscal year, the revenues dropped from Rs493 billion to Rs347 billion, registering a loss of Rs55 billion. The non-recovered GST paid to FBR is projected to cause a loss of Rs91 billion in the current fiscal year.

Now, it is expected there will be a possibility of generating financial losses in the range of Rs700 to Rs800 billion accumulating into the form of circular debt in the current fiscal year if the government did not hike the tariffs, bring efficiency and improve governance in cash-bleeding power sector.

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In January 2025, RDA inflows reach 9.564 billion USD.

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Remittances under the Roshan Digital Account (RDA) increased from US $9.342 billion at the end of 2024 to US $9.564 billion by the end of January 2025.

The most recent data issued by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) revealed that remittance inflows in January totaled US$222 million, compared to US$203 million in December and US$186 million in November 2024.

Millions of Non-Resident Pakistanis (NRPs), including those who own a Non-Resident Pakistan Origin Card (POC), desire to engage in banking, payment, and investing activities in Pakistan using these accounts, which offer cutting-edge banking options.

Nearly 778,697 accounts were registered under the scheme by the end of January 2025, according to the data.

By the end of January, foreign-born Pakistanis had contributed US $59 million to Roshan Equity Investment, US $479 million to Naya Pakistan Certificates, and US $799 to Naya Pakistan Islamic Certificates.

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FBR lowers Karachi’s built-up structure property valuation rates

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A year-by-year breakdown of the depreciation value of residential and commercial built-up properties is included in the updated property valuation rates for Karachi that the FBR has announced.

The notification said that built-up structural values on residential property will be gradually reduced.

A residential home’s built-up structure, which is five to ten years old, will lose five percent of its worth.

In a similar vein, constructions between the ages of 10 and 15 will lose 7.5% of their value, while those between the ages of 15 and 25 would lose 10%. Built-up structures that are more than 25 years old will be valued similarly to an open plot.

Furthermore, age will also be used to lower the valuation of built-up properties, such as apartments and flats.

Structures that are five to ten years old will depreciate by ten percent, while those that are ten to twenty years old will depreciate by twenty percent. A 30% depreciation will be applied to properties that are 20 to 30 years old, while a 50% reduction will be applied to those that are above 30 years old.

In terms of commercial built-up properties, buildings that are 10 to 15 years old will lose 5% of their value, while those that are 15 to 25 years old will lose 8%. The value of properties that are more than 25 years old will drop by 10%.

In contrast, there would be a 15% boost in the value of commercial properties in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) that face any Khayaban.

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Remittances Increase 25.2% in January 2025: $3.0 Billion Inflow

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Remittances from Pakistani workers totalled US$3.0 billion in January 2025, representing a 25.2% increase from the previous year.

The cumulative remittances for July through January of FY25 were 20.8 billion dollars, up 31.7 percent from 15.8 billion dollars during the same period in FY24.

In January 2025, the United States of America contributed 298.5 million dollars, the United Kingdom contributed 443.6 million dollars, the United Arab Emirates contributed 621.7 million dollars, and Saudi Arabia contributed 728.3 million dollars.

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