How much would a feature phone cost these days? Not more than rs5000 right? Well, PTA thinks otherwise. A 3000RS phone was recently charged with Rs 45000 custom duty which shocked everyone when it was posted on social media, some of whom made a mockery of it. However, PTA was soon to correct the story,
“PTA is only responsible for checking the IMEI of mobile devices to ensure that it is valid, and not a duplicate or reported stolen. The custom duties/tax calculation of mobile device being registered is determined by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).”
This clarification was much needed and vital as the authority has seeked strict measures to get phones registered in Pakistan to prevent smuggling of phones and to allow the government to hold important data on the citizens. Èven though this story was clarified that it was merely an error with the IMEI number which was taken off of an expensive phone, it still begs the question that no phone should be slapped a duty this high. This would result in smartphone prices becoming alarmingly high and make it even more difficult for people to afford the latest of what the tech industry has to offer.
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The latest tax reforms has seen huge changes in the phone prices with the primary aim of the government to give back the loans taken by the previous government and take this economy out of the poor state that it was, only kept stable by the previous governments through the loans that they received. Phones that valued between this price bracket of $30 – $100 will be charged almost 1,800 PKR per set. And the phones that were between $100 – $200 price bracket will be charged 2,700 PKR. Moreover, the phones that where in between the price bracket of $200 – $350 will be charged with 3,600 PKR. This is a major question for the PTA as to how do they think that the Pakistani people, consisting of a middle class majority to afford phones that have become expensive just because of the import duty on these items.
