According to recent reports, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has generated Rs. 122 billion revenue on account of taxes/duties on commercial mobile phone imports/devices since the implementation of the Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS). Official documents showed that commercial mobile phone imports have increased by up to 125 percent in three years, while revenue collected by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on mobile phone imports crossed Rs. 122 billion between 2018 and 2021.
FBR Has Collected Hundreds of Billions in Revenue from Mobile Phone Imports
Furthermore, in the individual import category, the government collected Rs. 35 billion between 2019 and 2021. Prior to the execution of DIRBS, mobile phone imports were an untapped area, with no revenue collection in this category. Following its successful launch in 2019, DIRBS entered its third year of seamless functioning. The system continued to achieve its specific objectives of eliminating the grey handset market in Pakistan and getting rid of counterfeit, substandard, and non-GSMA approved handsets.
The broader impact of DIRBS entailed a sharp decline in incidents of snatching and theft of mobile handsets, increased government revenues, a recently launched handset manufacturing ecosystem, and 100 percent registered handsets across all cellular networks of Pakistan. Following is the impact of DIRBS on the status of blocked, banned, and barred devices in Pakistan:
- 26.03 million fake/replica mobile devices blocked.
- 175,000 International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) devices (reported stolen) banned.
- 880,780 IMEI devices identified as cloned/duplicated against 5.28 million MSISDN barred on networks.
30 Companies have Acquired 10-Year MDM Authorization from PTA
In addition to this, 30 local and foreign companies — both standalone and joint venture — have acquired 10-year MDM authorization from PTA and have inaugurated manufacturing plants for the purpose. Leading brands including Oppo, Vivo, Nokia, Tecno, and Infinix, among others, have established their plants in Pakistan. Local manufacturing has promoted smartphone manufacturing in Pakistan, created job opportunities in skilled areas, and promoted affordability for consumers.
Read more: PM Imran Khan Explains the Recent Increase of Import Taxes on Smartphones
Source: Pro Pakistani
