ISLAMABAD: Pakistan imported 55 billion rupees cell phones in the first seven months of the ongoing financial year, the Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) said in a report.
The mobile phone imports registered an increase 13.13 percent in past seven months of the year, the FBS report said.
The country had imported 48.71 billion rupees mobile phone devices in the last fiscal year, the bureau said.
The imported cell phones’ price has increased due to shrinking value of Pak rupee in comparison to dollar, sources said.
Pakistan has spent 423.8 mln dollars on import of cellphones in current financial year.
The government last month hiked the import duty on cell phones from 15 percent to 44-52 percent.
According to phone dealers, the duties, general sales tax (GST), levy, and income tax rates on the imports of mobile phones have been revised upwards.
The dealers were of the opinion that government decision may possibly hike up the prices of mobile phones by as much as Rs 20,000.
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