Single gas tariff of Rs 1,708 per MMBtu from July 2027: protected slabs to end

The government wants to scrap Pakistan's 12-slab gas tariff and charge every consumer one average price of Rs 1,708 per MMBtu from 1 July 2027. The Petroleum Division has asked the IMF, whose review mission is in Islamabad this week, to approve the plan, ProPakistani and ARY News reported on 29 September. The start date has slipped six months from the earlier target of 1 January 2027.

What changes for a household

Today, protected households on SNGPL and SSGC pay far less than anyone else. The lowest slabs are:

Under a single tariff these slabs would go. On paper, a protected home paying Rs 300 per MMBtu would face a rate close to six times higher. The government's answer is a Rs 162 billion subsidy paid by income rather than by consumption, through programmes such as the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). In plain terms: poorer families would get cash support, and a well-off house that happens to use little gas would stop getting cheap gas.

Nothing changes on your bill before July 2027, and the plan still needs IMF approval and a notification from OGRA before it can apply.

Who pays less

The Rs 162 billion is roughly the cross-subsidy that commercial and industrial users now carry for protected homes in 2026-27. Their current rates are well above the proposed average:

• Cement factories: Rs 4,400 per MMBtu
• Commercial users: about Rs 3,900
• CNG stations: Rs 3,750
• Captive power: Rs 3,500
• General industry: about Rs 2,300

A uniform Rs 1,708 would cut these sharply, which is the point for industry: cheaper gas for factories and CNG, paid for by ending cheap gas for protected homes and replacing it with targeted cash.

What to do now

• Check whether your household is on the BISP National Socio-Economic Registry; income-based help will almost certainly run through it.
• Keep your winter use below the protected thresholds this year: the current slabs still apply until the new system starts.
• See what your bill looks like at different rates with the gas bill calculator.

What happens next

The IMF mission, which began talks with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on 29 September, has to agree to the subsidy design. OGRA would then set the uniform price and the Petroleum Division would notify it. We will update this story when a notification appears.