Parliamentary Committee Reviews Ali Gilani’s Resolution to Repeal PTA Tax on Imported Phones

The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Finance opened its meeting by discussing the high taxes imposed on mobile phones brought into Pakistan by overseas Pakistanis. MNA Ali Qasim Gilani raised concerns over the heavy taxation, emphasizing that the issue affects millions of Pakistanis, not only those living abroad. He highlighted that returning citizens are not allowed to bring even a single mobile phone without paying taxes, and are often charged new taxes on phones they already own.

Gilani warned that the steep taxes are encouraging grey-market practices, with many users maintaining separate PTA-registered and non-registered phones. He noted that multiple layers of taxation on mobile devices are excessive, particularly because PTA-related taxes are non-refundable. As an example, he cited that a six-year-old iPhone 12 still incurs a tax of Rs. 75,000.

Committee Chairman Naveed Qamar clarified that taxation falls under the jurisdiction of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and noted that the FBR chairman was not present at the meeting. The PTA Chairman confirmed that all taxes are imposed by the FBR and that the PTA itself does not levy any taxes. Consequently, the committee decided to postpone discussion on mobile phone taxation until the next session.

Speaking informally with journalists at Parliament House, the PTA Chairman reiterated that decisions on taxes for imported mobile phones are made by the government through the FBR. He expressed a preference for lower taxes and suggested that older imported devices should face reduced taxation to make them more affordable for citizens.