Installment facility launched for PTA tax on smartphones

Islamabad: The federal government has decided to introduce an installment facility for the payment of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) taxes on imported smartphones.

Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb presented the Finance Bill 2026–27 in the National Assembly.

The National Assembly has approved the Finance Bill 2026–27, allowing an installment facility for the payment of PTA taxes on imported smartphones.

Under the approved bill, individuals liable to pay tax on imported mobile phone devices through the PTA’s Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS) may pay the tax in installments according to the prescribed procedure.

The bill states that all installments must be paid before the end of the financial year in which the mobile phone is imported.

The new provision will allow PTA tax payments on both new and used imported mobile phones to be made in installments from July 1.

Finance Minister Defends Economic Data

Earlier, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb rejected concerns over Pakistan’s GDP calculations and economic data, saying that national accounts are prepared under internationally recognized standards.

Winding up the general debate on the Federal Budget 2026–27 in the National Assembly, the finance minister said national consensus was necessary to sustain economic recovery and reform momentum.

He said the government had presented a “balanced, growth-oriented and stability-focused budget” with key macroeconomic indicators showing improvement over the past year.

Responding to concerns raised by lawmakers regarding alleged discrepancies in budget documents and national income statistics, Aurangzeb said there had been no change in the methodology used for calculating GDP, per capita income, or other national account indicators.