Flight fares from Pakistan to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have increased, with the reason being attributed to a fixed federal excise duty. According to Gulf News, Pakistan has imposed a fixed federal excise duty of 5,000 PKR (approximately 66 AED) on air tickets for workers traveling to the UAE and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, leading to a rise in the cost of flights. This duty was introduced by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) of Pakistan in a notification issued last week.

The notification states that passengers holding a labor visa printed on their passports for GCC countries, and certified by the Protector of Emigrants (Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment) for international travel from Pakistan, will be charged a fixed amount of 5,000 PKR per ticket.

Due to the large number of South Asian expatriates residing in the UAE, the air corridor between Pakistan and the UAE is one of the busiest. Airfares are already high due to limited seat availability, and this new tax will further burden blue-collar workers.

Ali Ahmed, a Pakistani worker now employed as an assistant at a private company in the UAE, stated, “This is an additional burden on workers like me. While it may seem like a small amount in UAE Dirhams, 5,000 PKR is a significant sum for poor workers from remote areas of Pakistan who come here in search of a better financial future.” He added that blue-collar workers are the largest source of remittances to Pakistan, so the government should think carefully before making such decisions.

In recent years, a large number of people have migrated from Pakistan due to job shortages, inflation, and political instability, forcing them to seek employment abroad. The GCC countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait, host the largest number of Pakistani expatriates.