A Pakistan senate committee has approved adding a one-time Rs. 500 “radio fee” for vehicle registration to raise revenue for Radio Pakistan.

The recommendation came from a sub-committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting.

Senator Irfan Siddiqui chaired a meeting with the Senate Standing Committee on Information with Senator Fauzia Arshad and Senator Syed Waqar Mehdi, stating that more than three million cars are registered annually and all use the radio.

The sub-committee said the move would generate an additional Rs15 billion (US$54 million) annually for Radio Pakistan, which has long faced financial constraints.

A similar proposal to add a radio fee to car registrations was proposed by a group of members of parliament early last year but failed to pass the National Assembly.