Former Finance Minister Miftah Ismail called on the ruling coalition for back-to-back petroleum tax increases, accusing the government of burdening citizens with a “mini-budget” and failing to pass on the benefits of falling global oil prices.

He accused the government of giving up fundamental economic practice and said fuel prices should reflect the global market changes – rising as international rates rise and fall as they fall – a balance he claims is no longer maintained.

In a strongly formulated post on X, Ismail revealed that the government raised the petroleum tax with RS10 per year. Liters in March and another RS10 in April, which brought the total tax to the RS80 per year. Liter. He estimated that the move adds RS34 billion in monthly tax revenue.

“In these two months, the government has raised taxes with RS34 billion per month instead of giving the benefits to the people,” he said, arguing that gasoline prices should fall when international oil prices fall.

Ismail rejected official claims that the Levy hiking trip would finance development in Balochistan. “Money is mushrooms … No new projects for Balochistan are approved,” he said, claiming that the funds would instead go to the general government expenses.

He also accused the government of committing to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of maintaining high fuel prices and continuing to increase taxes. “This is a mini-budget,” he declared.

The criticism follows Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s announcement that savings from falling oil prices would be redirected to the dualization of the N-25 Highway (Chaman-Quetta-Kalat-Khuzdar-Karachi Route) and completed phase 2 in the Kachhi channel project to irritate the country in Balochistan.