ISLAMABAD – Duty free imports of the mobile phones under the baggage ruleis on cards by PTI government.
Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Shabbar Zaidi, has said that therecommendation for allowing duty-free import of mobile phones under baggagerule would be tabled before the federal cabinet.
Briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology andTelecommunication, Chairman FBR said that baggage rule was misused in thepast, compelling the government to withdraw the facility and duty/taxes arenow applicable on every mobile handset import.
The parliamentary panel, which met with Rubina Khalid in the chair,dismissed FBR’s suggestion to withdraw the facility and stated that insteadof blocking loopholes in the system and improving check and balance, theBoard took away the facility which has annoyed international passengers,especially overseas Pakistanis, which is hurting every segment of thesociety including students and other individuals.——————————
The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT)confronted FBR on taxes on mobile phone imports, saying that it isaffecting the IT sector’s growth negatively as well as the digital agendaof the government. The secretary MoITT pleaded before the committee thatthe duty on mobile import under the baggage rule should be withdrawn.
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The senators from the government benches also opposed the government’sdecision of imposing a duty on import of even a single mobile phonehandset. The committee recommended to suspend an order of FBR and allow oneduty-free mobile phone import under the baggage rules.
The Committee was of the view that wealthy people can afford any price ofphones and taxes levied on them but the larger part of the population, whoare using phones for multiple purposes, cannot afford it.
FBR gave a briefing on reasons for the withdrawal of customs duty exemptionon the imported phone per calendar year under the personal baggage rules.
