Telecom sector contributes Rs. 744b in terms of taxes

ISLAMABAD (APP) - Pakistan's Telecom sector, a significant source of revenue generation for government, has contributed Rs. 744 billion in terms of regulatory duties and taxes during last five years.

The sector also contributed around Rs. 105.9 billion during first three quarters of this fiscal year in terms of initial and annual license fees, initial and annual spectrum fees, Universal Service Fund (USF) and Research and Development (R&D) Fund contributions, Access Promotion Contribution (APC) for USF, Numbering Charges, license applications including General Sales Tax (GST)/Federal Excise Duty (FED), SIM Activation Tax, Advance/Withholding Tax (WHT), sales tax on mobile handsets, custom duties and other taxes.

Official sources on Sunday said the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and telecom industry believe that rationalization of taxes on the telecom sector can result into better sector growth and consequently better collections for government in the long run.