PPDA: The Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association stated on Wednesday that their negotiations with the federal and provincial governments had shut down. Hence, they have decided to move forward with nationwide petrol station strike starting tomorrow, July 5, around the country.
PPDA chairman Abdul Sami Khan clarified that their concerns on the new turnover tax have yet to be addressed despite meetings with several government representatives, including the finance minister and the head of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority. He emphasized that they could not abandon the strike because of the government’s words alone.
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According to Khan, the planned walkout will force more than 13,000 gas stations to close at 6 a.m. on July 5; if their demands are not satisfied, the closures may last until Friday. He asked operators of gas stations to make sure they had adequate fuel on hand for July 4.
The petroleum division has set up a monitoring cell to oversee the fuel supply situation in reaction to the strike. This unit will work with oil marketing corporations and other relevant parties in coordination to minimize disturbance and inconvenience to the public.
To avoid any disruptions in the supply chain, the government has directed oil marketing corporations to keep adequate supplies of petroleum products on hand. Representatives from OMCs, Ogra, and the petroleum division are part of the monitoring cell.
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The recent budget included a new 0.5% turnover tax, which the dealers are opposing. They claim that the burden this tax places on top of the current fixed withholding tax is unfair and unlawful.
The turnover tax will be eliminated, as the FBR Chairman has previously stated, but this will take time for the legislature to act. Reversing the tax will need to go through a formal legislative procedure as it was implemented by the Finance Act 2024-2025, which Parliament and the president approved.
