Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) has proposed electronic cess on registration of new vehicles or imported vehicles and purchase of new mobile phones to meet the Rs 4 billion annual deficit. Director General Imran Gardezi informed the sub-committee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that the proposal to levy Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 on registration of a vehicle was under consideration of the federal government.
The committee headed by Rana Afzal Hussain examined the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting accounts for the year 1996-97. The committee asked if Radio Pakistan had any business strategy to make radio Pakistan profitable. Gardezi said the income of Radio Pakistan generated by advertisements has increased from Rs 192 million to Rs 332 million. Although Radio Pakistan generated Rs 334m in 2013-14, its expenses had also been continuously increasing as a result the government had to provide it Rs 3.7bn as subsidy that year. He said PBC paid Rs 1bn annually as pension to its retired employees.
He informed the committee that the proposed business plan would not help cover losses of billions of rupees. The PBC might request the ministry of information and broadcasting to allow it to have a share in the TV licence fee around Rs 10. Another proposal has been sent to the Ministry of Information requesting them to allow levy from 0.5 to 1 percent radio cess on purchase of new mobile phones.