PTA clears air about removal of taxes on cellphones

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has released an important clarification regarding the taxes imposed on bringing mobile phones from abroad.

According to the details, PTA has addressed the recent news about the taxes on importing mobile phones, clarifying that there has been no official decision to remove these taxes in Pakistan, contrary to what some online reports suggest.

PTA emphasized that only overseas Pakistanis will be exempted from these taxes. Non-PTA mobile users can temporarily register their devices by simply inserting a SIM card and restarting their phones.

The government has introduced a system named the Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS), which enables the blocking of unverified mobile phones on cellular networks.

Read more: PTA opposes blocking of 500,000 non-filers’ SIMs

To prevent the spread of misinformation, PTA advised citizens to rely on official sources for updates and to refrain from sharing unverified information.

It is worth noting that last year, the government introduced a facility allowing overseas Pakistanis to register their handsets tax-free for 120 days during each visit through a temporary registration system. This initiative was aimed at easing the return process for expatriates.

Rumors had been circulating on social media that the government had abolished all taxes on bringing mobile phones from abroad.