The Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat has urged the government to reduce taxes on imported mobile phones, citing concerns over high prices and the heavy tax burden on consumers. According to reports, the meeting was chaired by Senator Rana Mahmoodul Hassan and attended by senior officials from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and Cabinet Secretariat.
PTA officials briefed the committee and said customs authorities should develop a transparent and effective mechanism for determining the actual prices of imported mobile phones. The committee directed the relevant authorities to establish such a system immediately and take steps to significantly reduce taxes on mobile phones.
The meeting also saw a detailed discussion on the rationale behind taxation on mobile phones. Senator Abdul Qadir questioned whether taxes should be imposed on mobile phones intended for general use. In response, FBR officials clarified that the authority to impose or abolish taxes rests with Parliament under the law.
Senator Sadia Abbasi strongly criticised government policies, saying excessive levies and what she described as unwarranted taxes were creating difficulties for the public. She stressed that the government should focus on facilitating businesses and consumers rather than placing additional burdens on ordinary people. Senator Dilawar Khan also raised concerns over what he described as a lack of a long-term strategy in Pakistan’s economic and trade policies.
Towards the end of the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal told the committee that the country’s growing digital payment system was bringing significant changes to the financial sector. He opposed imposing additional sales taxes on the buying and selling of mobile phones, warning that such measures could hinder the country’s ongoing digitalisation efforts.