Has Pakistani government imposed enormous new taxes on vehicle registration?
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ISLAMABAD - Multiple Facebook posts claim that the Pakistani government will impose enormous new taxes on the registration of motorcycles and rickshaws in southern Sindh province. The claim is false; no new taxes have been levied, according to government websites; the federal taxation authority has said there are no plans to introduce the tax cited in the misleading Facebook posts.
This link Facebook post includes a clip from a Pakistani TV news channel which has been viewed more than 35,000 times since July 24, 2019.
The post’s caption claims the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Pakistan’s tax authority, has instructed the Sindh provincial government to raise taxes on motorcycles and rickshaws.
“FBR issues letter to Sindh Govt to increase With Holding Tax on Motorcycle & Auto Rickshaw ...#Motorcycle #WHT #Tax #FBR,” it says.
The video's Urdu-language voiceover translates to English as: “For the registration of a 150,000 rupees rickshaw, 18,400 rupees will have to be paid as tax. The federal government has written a letter to the Sindh government to impose this tax.”
150,000 Pakistani rupees is equivalent to about US$935.
The broadcast also says that for a motorcycle worth 60,000 rupees, registration fees will be increased from 3,400 to 38,400 -- a rise of more than 1,100 per cent. - APP / AFP
