Committee tasked with digitising fuel payments

The government has constituted a seven-member committee to finalise a detailed mechanism for digitising payments at fuel stations across the country before its formal announcement in the federal budget. The committee, formed on the direction of Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, is headed by Sharjeel Murtaza, Chief Digital Officer of Karandaaz Pakistan, and includes Ali Jan Khan, consultant on digital reforms at the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), along with senior nominees from the FBR, Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority, Oil Companies Advisory Council, and the State Bank of Pakistan. Karandaaz Pakistan would be responsible for providing technical and secretarial support to the committee and submitting a final proposal to the FBR and the Ministry of Finance. This is part of the government’s plan to declare “war on cash” in the upcoming budget by introducing differential tax and transaction rates for cash and digital payments across various sectors, including fuel pricing.