The government is considering relief in PTA mobile phone taxes for overseas Pakistanis, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry informed the Senate on Thursday.
Responding during the question hour, the minister said overseas Pakistanis had repeatedly raised concerns over high PTA taxes on mobile phones brought from abroad during various overseas conventions held in Pakistan.
He explained that foreign-brought mobile phones remain operational for only a limited period before services are blocked unless the required PTA tax is paid.
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority currently applies different tax rates based on mobile phone models and import value. The government is now reviewing proposals aimed at easing the financial burden on expatriates visiting Pakistan.
The development follows recent discussions in the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Finance, where the Federal Board of Revenue and Tax Policy Unit were directed to explore rationalisation of duties and taxes on imported mobile phones in the upcoming 2026-27 budget.
According to reports, one proposal under consideration includes reducing sales tax on high-end imported phones priced above $500 from 25% to 18%, while phones below that threshold already face an 18% sales tax.
The committee meeting was chaired by Syed Naveed Qamar at Parliament House.
