Electricity duty (ED)
Definition. Electricity duty is a provincial tax charged as a percentage of the variable energy charge on your bill, collected by the DISCO and passed to the government of the province in which the connection sits.
Also called: ED · E.D. · Provincial duty
Where you see it: A short line in the taxes block, generally printed as ED or E. Duty.
A provincial levy on a federal-looking bill
Almost everything else on the bill is federal or regulator-set. Electricity duty is the exception: it is imposed under provincial law, and the rate can therefore differ between provinces for otherwise identical consumers.
The DISCO acts purely as collecting agent. The money does not stay with the distribution company.
What the percentage applies to
ED is charged on the variable energy charge — units multiplied by the applicable slab rates — rather than on the full bill total. Fixed charges, the television fee and other taxes generally sit outside its base.
This is why the ED figure moves with your consumption but not in step with the bottom-line total.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my electricity duty different from a relative's in another province?
Because the rate is set provincially. Two households with identical consumption on either side of a provincial boundary can carry different duty amounts.
Are agricultural connections exempt?
Several provinces apply reduced rates or exemptions to agricultural tube-well connections. The rate table printed on the bill is authoritative for your category.
Related terms
- General sales tax on electricity — Why the GST figure on your bill jumps in months when your units barely moved, what sits inside its tax base, and which consumers are exempt.
- Income tax on electricity bills — The advance income tax line on Pakistani commercial and industrial electricity bills, when it applies to domestic consumers, and how to actually claim it back.
- Tariff code — Decoding A-1, A-1a, A-2, B-1, C-1 and D-1 on a Pakistani electricity bill, and what happens when your connection sits in the wrong category.
Go further
Back to the full 44-term glossary, or open your own bill with the reference number lookup.