Heavy taxes on imported mobile phones spark debate in National Assembly
Business
A National Assembly committee discussed steep taxes on imported mobile phones, especially affecting overseas Pakistanis. Lawmakers criticized the high PTA-related charges
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Heavy taxation on mobile phones brought from abroad became a hot topic in a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Finance on Tuesday, as lawmakers voiced strong concerns over the burden placed on overseas Pakistanis and local citizens alike.
MNA Ali Qasim Gilani raised the issue, saying the problem affects not only overseas Pakistanis but “millions of people at home.”
He noted that some complications fall under the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) while others stem from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
Gilani remarked that when Pakistanis return from abroad with their personal phones, they are not allowed to bring even a single device without paying hefty taxes.
He said the high tax rates are “pushing people toward grey fraud,” adding that many citizens now carry two phones—one PTA-approved and one unregistered—to avoid extra costs.
Highlighting the scale of the issue, he pointed out that even an iPhone 12—now six years old—carries a tax of Rs75,000. “Mobile phone taxes have gone through the roof,” he said, urging authorities to rethink the policy.
Committee Chairman Naveed Qamar acknowledged that mobile phone taxation is primarily an FBR matter, but noted that the FBR chairman was absent from the meeting.
PTA Chairman Major General (r) Hafeez Ur Rehman clarified that the PTA imposes no taxes at all; all levies are determined and implemented by the FBR.
Given the absence of relevant officials, the committee postponed the discussion to its next session.
Speaking informally to reporters outside Parliament, the PTA chairman further explained that the government decides taxes on imported mobile phones, and the PTA actually prefers that the taxes remain low.
He argued that the older a phone model is, the lower the tax should be — a principle not currently reflected in the system.
As the debate continues, lawmakers say the ball is now in the government’s court to ease the burden on consumers and overseas Pakistanis, noting that the current taxation structure is “making life harder than it needs to be.”
