The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue Tuesday rejected the proposal to slap a standard 18 percent General Sales Tax (GST) on imported solar panels and photovoltaic cells.
The committee members unanimously rejected the proposal despite opposition by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). The tax body was of the opinion that money laundering has been deducted in solar panel imports and said that these panels are rarely used in the domestic market.
However, the committee members of the opinion that the public should be allowed to take advantage of solar panel imports and rejected the proposal to impose GST on the said imports.
A few days earlier, while briefing a parliamentary panel, FBR chairman had said that that locally assembled solar panels were already subject to the same tax, while imported panels had been tax-free, creating a disadvantage for local manufacturers.
The FBR chairman said the proposed tax on solar imports would help create a level playing field for the local industry.
nice work
Why not considering tax exemption to local assemblers, this will too create level playing field, rather than burdening the whole public.
Biggest question is . Why ? Why should there be sales tax on solar in the first place ?
It generates electricity . Will we tax air bcz of provides oxygen ?
We have not forgotten how govt could not provide us with electricity and People died under sun heatwave due to loadshedding .
People had no choice but to opt for solar. We pay gst and income tax on bills which is not only absurd but unethical .
FBR is wrong
Someone should tell FBR something
Solar panels generate electricity from sun . The thing that makes us use electricity more. The more heat the more we need electricity which grid cannot provide. Only solar can.
What’s next ? Will they tax religious inventory next ?
Govt should’ve created solar farms over 10 years ago.
over 10 years ago the solar prices were sky rocket high