The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has put forward a proposal to significantly augment the sales tax on imported mobile phones.
This proposal is part of the Finance (Supplementary) Bill, 2023, which incorporates amendments to the Ninth Schedule of the Sales Tax Act 1990, specifically focusing on mobile phones.
As per the proposed bill, a sales tax of 25 per cent would be applicable on premium mobile phones that are imported and have a value of more than Rs132,000 ($500).
The proposed amendment entails an increase in sales tax from 17 per cent to 18 per cent for imported mobile phones with an import value ranging from Rs53,000 ($200) to Rs132,000 ($500).
It is noteworthy that this range includes two distinct categories within the Ninth Schedule, namely $200-$350 and $350-$500.
It has been announced that the sales tax rate for imported mobile phones with a value up to $200 will remain unchanged. No proposed changes have been put forward for this import value category.
