The people of Pakistan, already grappling with inflation, face an imminent rise in prices for chicken meat and eggs.
Market reports suggest that the price of chicken meat might go up by Rs 100 to Rs 150 per kilogram. This means the current price of Rs 480 per kilogram could rise to between Rs 580 and Rs 630 per kilogram. Similarly, the price of eggs is expected to increase by Rs 50 to Rs 70 per dozen, with the current price of Rs 240 per dozen possibly reaching about Rs 290 to Rs 310 per dozen.
The expected price increase comes after the Senate’s Finance Committee agreed to remove tax exemptions on chicken feed. The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) announced in a meeting that the 10 percent tax exemption on chicken feed would be removed. This move is part of a larger plan to apply a 10 percent sales tax on livestock feed, including feed for cows and buffaloes, to raise an extra Rs 47 billion in sales tax revenue.
The government wants to increase its income by removing tax breaks, but this will make it more expensive for poultry farmers to produce chicken and eggs. These higher costs will likely be passed on to consumers, resulting in higher prices for chicken and eggs.