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Imported devices sit idle
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Billions in spent foreign exchange produce zero utility
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Citizens are forced to buy parallel low-end phones just to make calls
So now the country loses twice:
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Forex is spent
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Productivity is blocked
This is not revenue generation.
This is economic leakage.
“Rationalization” Isn’t Enough
Every few months, we hear the same word: rationalization.
Lower slabs.
Adjusted rates.
Minor relief.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: some things should not be taxed at all.
If Pakistan wants to compete globally in freelancing, IT exports, and digital services, then high-performance smartphones should be effectively zero-rated.
Not discounted.
Not partially waived.
Zero.
You cannot ask a Pakistani freelancer to compete with the world while throttling the very device that enables that competition.
If You Call It a Fee, Let It Behave Like One
If indirect taxes or registration charges must exist, then basic fairness demands this:
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Make them adjustable against income tax or wealth tax
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Make them reclaimable if a phone is lost or stolen
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Make them transferable if a device is replaced
Right now, these charges behave like sinkholes—money goes in, accountability never comes out.
And when systems feel extractive instead of logical, people stop trusting them.
