The FBR has moved in to share the load as well as facilitate the mobile device importers bringing in handsets in the baggage to get it legalized in all respect with no fear for the purchaser that his or her mobile will be inactive.
While there has been confusion on part the PTA with respect to its DRIBS campaign, launching software across google and android for users to check their device authenticity and also among the users who already had such mobiles, as to what to do; this step has come as a relief.
Readers might remember that a week ago a Chinese traders staged protest at the Islamabad international airport over similar situation. That has been a practice among the Pakistani traders for long. Apart from the bulk of all brands which are imported into the local market by renowned importers, a few mobiles get into the market in one or two or five sets through isolated importers. It has been these mobiles which have always beeped negative when put to test in DRIBS.
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The newly introduced system totally based on an e commerce architecture facilitates an importer, a Pakistani living abroad and entering Pakistan through any of the airports. When he has the phone, he has to get it registered on line with FBR. The basis of his identity when the Pakistani web system is his CNIC. Once authenticated, the device is provisionally registered as okay by the FBR. The same information is readily shared with the PTA.
Once the importer lands in Pakistan, his imported mobile or mobiles are tracked electronically and the duty is levied and the same is communicated through a web application to the expatriate Pakistani at the international terminal of any airport in Pakistan. Just like the IRIS of FBR, the custom duty enrolled tax payer has the liberty to pay through the web application making use of internet banking or the ATM option. As soon as the payment is made and the payment of duty is authenticated by the joint FBR and PTA web application/ server, the devices enter the national market as PTA compliant ones.
FBR moves to ally importers fears
The step is a big way to facilitate the importers and allay the general fears which the people had in mind about the whole exercise of levying duties and making it an offence. Besides that it also has a built-in dividend to generate revenue for the national exchequer.
