Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Major General (R) Hafeez Ur Rehman said the 60 percent tax on mobile phones is too high. He made the remarks during a parliamentary committee meeting on Tuesday.
Speaking before the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology, he said the PTA recommends tax reductions every year. However, he clarified that the authority does not impose duties or taxes on mobile phones.
Instead, the PTA manages the Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS) and whitelists mobile devices. He also said the authority does not know the exact tax applied to each handset.
Committee Urges Lower Smartphone Taxes
Committee Chairman Syed Amin Ul Haque said smartphones are no longer luxury products. He argued that the current tax structure makes smartphones unnecessarily expensive for consumers.
Meanwhile, the PTA chairman informed lawmakers that the authority has licensed 37 companies to manufacture or assemble mobile phones in Pakistan. He added that around 26 million mobile phones are assembled locally.
According to the briefing, only eight percent of mobile handsets are imported into the country.
Pakistan Encouraged To Attract Global Brands
Minister of State for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja told the committee that premium smartphones attract higher taxes. She said imported devices, including Apple iPhones and Google Pixel phones, fall into this category.
Amin Ul Haque also called for encouraging more global manufacturers to invest in Pakistan. He said that if brands like Nokia and Samsung can operate locally, Apple should also be encouraged to assemble phones in the country.
