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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.
The Question No One Likes Asking
There’s a bitter joke people repeat under their breath:
“Jo legit sarkari kaamon mein rishwat deni parti hai, uski raseed honi chahiye.”
That cynicism isn’t cultural.
It’s systemic.
When legal pathways are punitive, opaque, and inflexible, informal shortcuts flourish. A simpler, transparent, minimal mobile policy would reduce misuse more effectively than any enforcement drive ever could.
