A Pakistan Senate sub-committee has recommended adding a “radio fee” to the charge for registering new vehicles to raise revenue for Radio Pakistan.

The recommendation came from a sub-committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting on 6 March, Dawn newspaper reports.

It called for a radio fee of Rs500 (US$1.8) be introduced when registering all new vehicles except motorcycles.

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.