Yes, you read it correctly: Pakistan’s government has raised the import tariff on smartphones by up to 240 percent. Import duties will be raised on all phones that are not assembled in the nation.
Import tariffs on mobile phones have been raised from 32 percent to 240 percent, depending on the cost of the phone. It’s not just a 240 percent surcharge on everything. A $30 handset will now fetch Rs300, with the increase up by Rs135 or 82 percent. So, regardless of your budget, you will have to spend more.
Despite being a food-short country, the government has imposed a 55 percent regulatory charge on potato imports, while maintaining a 60 percent regulatory duty on wheat imports and a 25 percent regulatory duty on wheat flour imports. Duties and tariffs on wheat and sugar imports have been mainly waived by the federal cabinet.
Increased tariffs on mobile imports, on the other hand, are believed by tax authorities to boost the production of locally produced devices (which are almost none). As a result, consumers who want a beautiful flagship or an iPhone will not have to pay much more than the smartphone’s price.
