The government is seriously considering proposals to provide relief in PTA mobile phone taxes for overseas Pakistanis, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry told the Senate on Thursday.
Responding to a supplementary question raised by Senator Abid Sher Ali during Question Hour, the minister said overseas Pakistanis had repeatedly called for relaxation in mobile phone taxes during overseas conventions held in Pakistan.
He said mobile phones brought from abroad remain functional for only a limited period of a few weeks, after which services are suspended unless the prescribed PTA tax is paid.
Dr. Tariq Fazal said different tax rates are currently applied to different mobile phone models, adding that the matter of easing the tax burden on overseas Pakistanis is under serious consideration by the government.
The development comes weeks after the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance directed the Federal Board of Revenue and the Tax Policy Unit to examine the rationalization of duties and taxes on imported mobile phones in the upcoming federal budget for 2026-27.
