Govt offers bikers Rs2,000 a month

According to The Express Tribune, the government is weighing a monthly payment of around Rs2,000 for motorcyclists to partly cushion the blow from steep petrol costs. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved launching the scheme, which would initially run for three months and could be extended depending on available funds and developments in the Middle East. The final sum rests with the prime minister.

The finance ministry has reportedly again opposed a push from some cabinet ministers to lower the petroleum levy and draw on the Rs430 billion contingency allocation to absorb any revenue shortfall. Budget documents showed that Rs113 billion of last year's contingency money went unspent, although it was earmarked for emergencies that could shield consumers from the Middle East war. The ministry argues that the IMF programme could be compromised, yet the lender's third review report says the reserve can be used to bring down fuel costs.

Petrol now costs Rs376 and diesel Rs403 per litre after this week's Rs30 per litre rise in petrol and Rs25 per litre increase in diesel. Petrol carries a tax of Rs106 per litre, equal to 28% of the price, and Jamaat-e-Islami has called a long march to Islamabad on September 20 to press for a lower levy. At today's prices, the Rs2,000 relief equals only five litres of petrol.