ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government has once again deprived the public of potential relief by hiking the petroleum levy on petrol prices.The federal government of Pakistan decided to keep petrol prices and diesel rates unchanged for the next fortnight.According to an official notification issued by the Petroleum Division, the petrol prices announced 15 days earlier will continue to remain in force, while diesel rates will also remain unchanged for the next fortnight.According to the official documents, the Pakistan government has jacked up the petroleum levy on petrol and high-speed diesel.The levy on petrol has been raised by Rs4.65 per litre, increasing the petroleum levy from Rs79.62 to Rs84.27 per litre.Similarly, the levy on high-speed diesel has been increased by Rs0.80 per litre, taking it from Rs75.41 to Rs76.21 per litre.Documents show that had the petroleum levy been maintained at its previous level, petrol prices could have been reduced by Rs4.65 per litre, while diesel could have been cheaper by Rs0.80 per litre.The petroleum levy on kerosene oil has also been raised by Rs1.41 per litre, increasing it from Rs18.95 to PKR 20.36 per litre.Likewise, the levy on light diesel oil has been fixed at Rs15.84 per litre. Following the latest increase, the total tax burden on petrol has risen to Rs105 per litre.Meanwhile, taxes on high-speed diesel have exceeded Rs100 per litre, a figure that includes the margins of oil marketing companies and dealers. However, the sales tax on both products remains unchanged at zero.