Imported smartphone users will now be able to pay PTA taxes in monthly instalments instead of paying the entire amount lump sum, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MNA Syed Ali Qasim Gilani has said.
Under the new arrangement, users facing taxes of around Rs100,000 to Rs250,000 will be able to pay approximately Rs8,000 to Rs17,000 per month.
“Alhamdulillah, after almost two years of struggle, we have managed to secure some relief for smartphone users who have been struggling with exorbitant taxes on imported smartphones,” Gilani said in a statement shared on social media platform X.
He said that the instalment option would replace the previous requirement to pay the full tax amount at once. “Instead of paying a lump sum of around Rs. 100,000–250,000 in PTA taxes, users can now pay approximately Rs. 8,000–17,000 per month in instalments, making the burden more manageable,” he wrote.
Gilani also announced a reduction of approximately Rs18,000 in taxes under the Regulatory Duty (RD) head.
The MNA added that the effort to secure relief for smartphone users had continued for almost two years, pledging to seek further concessions.
The announcement follows earlier discussions in the National Assembly (NA) committee on the issue of taxes imposed on imported mobile phones and the possibility of allowing consumers to pay the levies in instalments.
During the committee meeting, a PTA member clarified that the authority had no role in imposing mobile phone taxes or developing a mechanism for their payment in instalments, saying tax matters fell under the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
Gilani, who had raised the issue before the committee, said that FBR had told him that a mechanism for instalment payments was available with PTA.
The IT secretary told the committee that he was not aware of the issue of mobile phone tax instalments and said that he would discuss it with the PTA chairman before briefing the committee. The committee sought a detailed briefing on the matter at its next meeting.
