LAHORE: In its budget proposals to end loadshedding in the country, Pakistan Solar Association (PSA) has asked the government to ensure zero duty on import of solar equipment.
PSA Chairman Engineer Faiz Bhutta said that all solar equipment including solar panel, battery, charge controllers should be exempted from all kinds of taxes and duties. This step, he claimed, would help end power load-shedding completely within next two to three years.
Explaining the PSA budget proposals, he said that the import of solar energy plants and related equipment had been duty free under SRO 575 (1) since 2006 till 2014. However, under the fifth and sixth schedule of Finance Act 2014, he said that 32 percent duty imposed on import of solar panel, 55 percent on solar batteries, 35 percent each on invertors and charge controller. Though keeping in view the public demand, the government abolished import duty on solar panel, its import could not jack up due to heavy duties on the batteries, invertors and other related equipment, he added.
