NA IT Committee Calls for Lower Smartphone Taxes and Apple’s Entry into the Market

The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on Information Technology (IT) held a meeting to review taxes and duties imposed on smartphones, with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman briefing lawmakers on the current taxation framework and the country’s mobile manufacturing landscape.

During the meeting, the PTA Chairman acknowledged that the overall tax burden on smartphones is significantly high, stating that taxes on some devices can reach up to 60 percent. He clarified that these are not PTA taxes, explaining that the authority only manages the whitelisting and registration of mobile devices and does not determine tax rates. He further revealed that the PTA itself does not maintain details of the exact tax amount imposed on individual mobile models.

NA IT Committee Calls for Lower Smartphone Taxes and Apple’s Entry into the Market

The PTA Chairman informed the committee that the authority annually recommends reducing smartphone taxes through the Ministry of Information Technology, recognizing the importance of making mobile devices more affordable for consumers.

Committee Chairman Syed Amin Ul Haque emphasized that smartphones are no longer luxury items, but have become an essential necessity for education, business, communication, and digital services. He stressed that the current taxation policy should reflect this reality.

Highlighting the progress of Pakistan’s local manufacturing sector, the PTA Chairman said the authority has granted licenses to 37 companies to manufacture mobile phones in Pakistan. He noted that approximately 26 million mobile phones are now assembled each year locally, while only 8 percent of mobile phones are imported.

Minister of State for IT Shaza Fatima said Pakistan continues to import premium smartphones, including Apple iPhones and Google Pixel devices, and imposes applicable import taxes and duties on them.

The committee also discussed the absence of Apple’s official presence in Pakistan. Chairman Syed Amin Ul Haque questioned why Apple has not entered the Pakistani market despite operating in neighboring countries. He pointed out that companies such as Nokia and Samsung have established operations in Pakistan and asked why Apple could not do the same.

See Also: NA Committee Summons Ufone Officials Over Poor Service, Warns of Licence Suspension

The committee directed the Ministry of Information Technology to engage with Apple and encourage the company to establish an official presence in Pakistan. “If Apple can operate in India and Bangladesh, there is no reason it cannot come to Pakistan,” the committee chairman remarked.

The discussion underscored the committee’s growing concern over high smartphone taxes and the need to improve access to affordable digital devices while attracting leading global technology companies to invest in Pakistan.