Expensive calls

The government’s decision to tax mobile phone calls has puzzled almost everyone. The telecom industry has said that the proposed taxes on mobile calls over five minutes will affect prepaid customers that enjoy various low-cost bundles. Because of the recently announced taxes, a five-minute phone call will cost around Rs2.72 instead of the previous Rs1.97. The 75 paisa tax is in addition to the 19.5 percent federal excise duty for a voice call. This means that a user will now be charged 40 percent additional taxes if the voice call exceeds five minutes.

As per industry experts, telecom taxes are irrationally high in Pakistan. According to a Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) report, Pakistan is considered to be among the highest taxed telecom markets in the world. The current government has disappointed a large number of people, and it seems that it isn’t interested in facilitating them.

Rabia Khalid

Kech