Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has said that the government is charging only 16.4 percent taxes on petrol, which is around 33 percent less than it was during the government of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), as the tax rate at that time was as high as 52 percent.

“The current Petroleum Development Levy (PDL) is Rs5.62 and sales tax is Rs11.76 and total tax is Rs17.38 per liter of petrol,” the minister said in a tweet.

He said the base price of one liter petrol was Rs105.92 and the total price was Rs123.3, hence the taxation rate per liter was 16.4%, “which is less by one third of the time of Pakistan Muslim League (N) government when tax was 52%”.

Asad Umar was responding to a tweet by the Pakistan People’s Party leader Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui who referred Asad Umar’s tweet written in February 2016 when he said that “petrol price without taxes is Rs46.8 and taxes (PDL+GST) on it are Rs24.5 so the total tax on petrol is now equal to 52%”.

Addressing the Planning Minister in his tweet, Murtaza Wahab said “Can you please do the same mathematics now?”

After presenting the details of taxation on petrol, the minister concluded by asking Wahab “anything else do you want to ask?”