The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has announced a fixed federal excise duty (FED) of Rs. 5,000 per ticket for passengers traveling to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries on labor visas.
The FBR issued an S.R.O. 1191(I)/2024 on Wednesday to formalize this new levy.
According to the notification, the FED will be levied and collected on a fixed basis, amounting to Rs. 5,000 per ticket. This replaces the amount specified in sub-clause (i) of clause (b) of serial number 3 of Table-II of the First Schedule to the Federal Excise Act. The duty applies to passengers holding labor visas printed on their passports, duly verified by the Protector of Emigrants (Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment), embarking on international journeys from Pakistan to GCC countries.
The GCC comprises Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain, where a significant number of Pakistani laborers are currently employed.
