Monthly Rs35 PTV fee to be dropped amid soaring electricity costs
Pakistan’s federal government is poised to scrap the controversial Rs35 monthly fee for state-run Pakistan Television (PTV) from electricity bills, offering long-overdue relief to more than 40 million consumers amid a surge in energy costs, according to a senior official with direct knowledge of the matter.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to formally announce the decision within days, marking a rare rollback of a decades-old surcharge that silently generated Rs1.5 billion a month — or nearly Rs16 billion annually — for the national broadcaster.
The move comes as households, businesses, and industries grapple with soaring power tariffs and inflation, making the cut a politically and economically strategic gesture. “This is part of the government’s broader effort to ease pressure on the public and reduce unnecessary charges,” the official said.
The decision will apply across all categories of power consumers and is seen as one of the most tangible forms of bill relief in recent years.