ISLAMABAD: In a significant development, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has recorded a 54 per cent increase in sales tax collection from the sugar sector over the past two months, owing to the recovery of arrears and ongoing reforms in the industry.

But this progress contrasts sharply with the government’s apparent inability to curb retail prices of sugar, leaving consumers to bear the brunt of rising costs.

Sugar, which sells for about Rs170 per kg on the market, is one of the major factors in the FBR’s increased sales tax revenue.

Analysts attribute this trend to ongoing sugar exports, which have squeezed domestic supply and fuelled a price hike.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, in a televised address, attributed the recent surge in tax collection to........

© Dawn Business