Pakistan's salaried workers and ordinary citizens face a crushing new burden as the petroleum levy jumps Rs 13.91 per liter, while the country's elite class continues to evade taxes entirely.

The levy on petrol has surged from Rs 103.50 to Rs 117.41 per liter, while diesel's levy rose from Rs 28.69 to Rs 42.60 per liter. With new prices at Rs 414.78 for petrol and Rs 414.58 for diesel, over one-third of what Pakistanis pay at the pump goes directly to the federal government.

Yet this revenue doesn't even get distributed to provinces for public services. The petroleum levy flows entirely to the federal government's coffers in Islamabad, bypassing provincial budgets and local communities altogether.

The bitter irony: Pakistan's wealthiest citizens pay virtually nothing. Tax evasion among the elite remains systemic, with many high-ranking officials, judges, and business leaders contributing zero to national revenue despite massive incomes.

During the four-year tenure of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) government, Saqib Nisar's pension increased by one million rupees. Minister salaries jumped from Rs 200,000 to Rs 1 million. The Speaker's salary skyrocketed from Rs 200,000 to Rs 2.5 million. Assembly members saw across-the-board increases in salaries, perks, and privileges.

No one asked the public before implementing these raises. But when it comes to making ordinary Pakistanis pay more for fuel, suddenly officials claim "there's no other solution."

Ahsan Iqbal, a senior minister, recently appeared in a video discussing tax policy - while himself being identified as a tax evader. The optics couldn't be worse: elite politicians lecturing struggling citizens about fiscal responsibility while paying nothing themselves.

For Pakistan's salaried class, the pressure is relentless. They pay income tax on every rupee earned. They pay GST on purchases. They pay tax on mobile phone usage. They pay tax on virtually everything - while watching the elite accumulate wealth tax-free.

Poverty has risen steadily over the past four years. Incomes have shrunk. Yet petrol reached Rs 415 per liter, and the response from Islamabad is to ask ordinary people to sacrifice more.

Economists note that Pakistan's tax-to-GDP ratio remains among the world's lowest, largely because the wealthy evade taxation with impunity. Agricultural income - where many elites hold assets - remains largely untaxed. Property ownership records are opaque. Shell companies proliferate.

The petroleum levy represents a regressive tax that hits the poor hardest. A rickshaw driver in Karachi spends a larger share of income on fuel than a luxury car owner in Lahore's Defence area - yet both pay the same per-liter levy.

When citizens ask "how can we trust our leaders?" this is why. Solutions appear instantly for elite salary increases. But for ordinary Pakistanis crushed by inflation, those same leaders claim helplessness and demand more sacrifice.

The question isn't just about Rs 117 per liter. It's about a system that protects the powerful while squeezing everyone else.