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Overseas Pakistanis can take home only 1 phone free of duty in a year

سمندر پار پاکستانیوں پر بڑی پابندی عائد کر دی گئی۔

 سمندر پار پاکستانیوں پر بڑی پابندی عائد کر دی گئی سمندر پار پاکستانی صرف ایک موبائل فون پاکستان کا سکیں گئے وہ بھی سال میں ایک بار اپنے ساتھ ساتھ ایک فون لا سکیں گے تفصیلات کے مطابق وزیر مملکت کی طرف سے جاری اعلان کے مطابق اوورسیز پاکستانی اپنے رشتےداروں کے ایک فون اپنے ساتھ پاکستان کا سکتے ہیں اور اس ہر کوئی چارجز نہیں لگائے جاہیں گے اور سامان کے ساتھ ٹوٹل پانچ فون لانے کی اجازت ہوگی جن میں سے چار فون پر ڈیوٹی ادا کرنی پڑے گی ۔ 

London; A large number overseas Pakistanis living in the UK and abroad carry more than one mobile phone when they go back home free of customs duties. This will not be the case anymore.

Hammad Azhar, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs, on Saturday said overseas Pakistanis can take only one phone in a year without paying customs duty and a maximum of five can be brought in as per personal baggage rules. But they will have to pay duty on the four extra handsets.

“For people bringing in phones from abroad, as per personal baggage rules, one phone per annum is allowed duty-free and up to a maximum of five phones in a year can be brought in. The duty on remaining four will have to be paid if you require service in Pakistan beyond 30 days,” Azhar tweeted.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Friday said that all those mobile phones brought into the country illegally after December 31 will be blocked by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

He said this decision was taken to curb mobile phone smuggling, which is damaging the national economy. In 2017-18, Pakistan imported $847.66 million  worth of mobile phones. In the previous financial year, Pakistan had imported over $1 billion worth of phones as there was no duty on imports from China due to a free trade agreement and a very small little duty on imports from other countries.

Azhar said that if people are purchasing a new phone or carry any phone that they wish to install a SIM in and activate after December 1, 2018, they must send its IMEI number to 8484 to know about its legal status. The IMEI number can be found in the mobile’s box or by dialling *#06#.

Azhar said the cabinet has also approved the relaxation in policies regarding commercial import of new and used mobile phones.

“Ban on commercial import of used phones is also lifted if the said phone models conform to PTA regulations and duties and taxes are paid on them,” he added.

He, however, warned that mobile phones sold after December 1, 2018 that are not custom duty paid (i.e., smuggled) will be deactivated by the PTA after 30 days. Phones currently in use or activated before December 1 will not be affected or require registration.

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Iftikhar Warsi

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