The National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance was informed on Saturday that Pakistanis spent more than Rs. 317 billion on various online apps and platforms during the fiscal year 2024–25. This surprising figure highlights the country’s growing shift toward digital services and global tech platforms.
The data, presented by FBR Chairman Rashid Mahmood, showed that over 42 million transactions were made through international digital vendors, including tech giants like Meta (Facebook), Apple, Google, Netflix, and online shopping platforms such as AliExpress and Temu.
Apple/iTunes topped the list in terms of transaction volume, with more than 5.1 million purchases totaling nearly Rs. 6 billion. Meta followed with Rs. 12.3 billion worth of payments, while Google recorded Rs. 5.94 billion through 2.3 million transactions. Netflix users made 3.37 million transactions, spending Rs. 2.79 billion in the process.
Online shopping also played a major role in digital spending. AliExpress recorded Rs. 4.9 billion across nearly a million transactions, and Temu logged Rs. 1.8 billion from over 376,000 orders.
Perhaps most notable was the “Other” category of online platforms, which included a mix of smaller or unnamed services. These accounted for a massive Rs. 281.4 billion through 28.6 million transactions—more than any single platform.
To manage this rising digital activity, the government introduced the Digital Presence Proceeds Levy Act, 2025, which proposes a 5% tax on payments made to foreign digital service providers. Banks and payment companies will collect this tax at the time of transaction.
The committee reviewed the bill, along with proposed amendments to other financial laws, and recommended passing it with minor revisions.
