The costs of well-known mobile phone brands are set to rise in Pakistan due to a significant increase in customs values for the import of nearly all models of mobile phones into the country.
As per reliable sources, the Directorate General of Customs Valuation Karachi has raised customs values for 1,160 models of popular branded mobile phones in a recent ruling shared with ProPakistani.
The Directorate increased customs values for brands such as Apple, Huawei, Infinix, ITEL, Lenovo, Meizu, Motorola, Nokia, OPPO, Samsung, Sony, Tecno, VIVO, XIAOMI, REALME, ONEPLUS, HONOR, TCL, ALCATEL, Sea Shark, X TELL, ZTE, and SHARP.
The ruling also mentioned that customs values for used/refurbished mobile phones imported by legitimate passengers will be assessed, considering the depreciation allowance included in the provided tabulated values.
For brands and models not listed in the annexure but imported in commercial quantities, the clearance Collectorates are instructed to assess them under Section 81 of the Customs Act, 1969. A reference is then forwarded to the Directorate for the final determination of their values.
Previously, mobile phone values were determined under Section 25A of the Customs Act, 1969, through Valuation Ruling No. 1732/2023. However, this ruling, which was about nine months old, did not accurately reflect the current international market conditions.
Moreover, some old models mentioned in the existing ruling have reached their End of Life (EOL) and need to be considered for depreciation. Therefore, the Directorate has undertaken an exercise to determine the values of mobile phones under Section 25A of the Customs Act, 1969.
Stakeholders requested a revision of values, considering the aging of mobile phone models, and suggested minimal depreciation in the assessable value. This is crucial since some of the mobile phone models mentioned in the Valuation Ruling are old, yet their assessable customs values are very high.
To address this, 90 days’ clearance data was retrieved and scrutinized, followed by a market survey to observe actual mobile phone device prices. Based on the collected data and the conducted exercise, the values of the subject goods have been determined, as outlined below.
