If you have been delaying your PTA registration because you heard a big phone tax cut was coming, that wait is officially over — and not in the way most people hoped.
In a written reply to the National Assembly, reported on 14–15 October 2026, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb confirmed that the relief given in the Finance Act 2026 is final for this fiscal year. No further cut is under consideration. In this guide, we break down exactly which charges changed, who actually saves money, and who gets nothing at all.
What the Government Has Confirmed
The Finance Minister’s written reply to the National Assembly makes the position clear: the tax relief announced in the Finance Act 2026 is all there is for this fiscal year, and the government is not considering another reduction.
That means anyone holding an unregistered imported phone in the hope of a cheaper DIRBS bill later this year is waiting for something that is not coming. The next possible change is the next federal budget — June 2027 at the earliest.
One honest note: the minister’s reply has been reported in the press, and the National Assembly has not published the full text of the reply itself. What is certain is the Finance Act 2026 as passed, because its figures were cross-checked against the official Gazette text published by the FBR on 26 June 2026. Those are the rates below.
The Only Two Cuts in the Finance Act 2026
Out of all the taxes and levies charged on an imported phone, exactly two were reduced — and both sit in the same price band: phones valued above $100 and up to $200.
| Charge | Old rate | New rate (Finance Act 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Income tax (phones above $100, up to $200) | Rs 930 | Rs 100 |
| Mobile Handset Levy (serial 3) | Rs 600 | Rs 200 |
Put together, these two charges have fallen from Rs 1,530 to Rs 300. That is a real reduction — but it applies only to phones in that $100–$200 value band. If your phone is worth less, or more, these two cuts do not touch your bill in the same way.
A Worked Example: A $150 Phone
Take a typical budget import: a phone worth $150, which works out to roughly Rs 42,000 at Rs 277 to the dollar.
On that phone, the two changed charges now look like this:
- Before: Rs 930 (income tax) + Rs 600 (handset levy) = Rs 1,530
- Now: Rs 100 (income tax) + Rs 200 (handset levy) = Rs 300
So you save Rs 1,230 on these two items compared with the old rates. Be clear about what this means, though: these are only two of the charges on a DIRBS bill. The other taxes and duties on the same phone still apply exactly as before — your total registration bill drops by this amount, not to this amount.
What Did Not Change: Flagships Get Nothing
If your phone is worth more than $500 — which means every iPhone and every Galaxy S model — the Finance Act 2026 changed nothing for you. The 25% sales tax on those phones is completely unchanged.
This is worth understanding before you plan a purchase. Figures presented to the National Assembly’s finance committee put the total tax burden at roughly 54% of the phone’s value on an imported phone, compared with roughly 25% on a locally assembled one. That gap in total burden — not any single charge — is why an imported flagship ends up costing so much more once you register it.
What About the Reported 20% Duty Cut?
You may also have seen reports of a separate 20% cut in regulatory duty on phones. Be careful with that one: the figure could not be verified in the text of the Finance Act 2026 itself. Customs duties in Pakistan are changed through official notifications rather than through the Act, so the honest position is that this cut is reported, not confirmed.
Until you see it reflected in an official notification — or in the numbers on your own DIRBS slip — do not plan your purchase around it.
Passport or CNIC: Check Your DIRBS Slip
The relief described above is in the tax rates themselves, and the exact amount you owe is calculated when you register your phone in DIRBS. The result is shown line by line on your payment slip.
Whatever document you register with, check that slip carefully before you pay. Confirm that the income tax and Mobile Handset Levy lines match the new rates for your phone’s value band, and question anything that still shows the old Rs 930 or Rs 600 figures. The slip is the amount you will actually pay — not a screenshot shared on social media.
What Buyers Should Do Now
- Register within 60 days of arrival. Imported phones must be registered in DIRBS within 60 days of arriving in Pakistan. Leaving it longer only adds risk and penalties on top of the same tax bill.
- Stop waiting for a better rate. The government has now said, in writing, that no further cut is coming this fiscal year. The bill you see today is the bill for the rest of the year.
- In the $100–$200 band? Register now. You are the one group that genuinely saves under the Finance Act 2026 — take the Rs 1,230 reduction while the current rates stand.
- Buying a flagship? Budget for the full tax. Nothing has changed above $500, so include the complete registration cost in your buying decision from day one.
FAQs
Q: Is another PTA phone tax cut coming later this year?
No. In his written reply to the National Assembly, reported on 14–15 October 2026, the Finance Minister confirmed that the Finance Act 2026 relief is final for this fiscal year and no further cut is under consideration. The earliest possible change is the next federal budget, in June 2027. Note that the reply itself has been reported in the press; the National Assembly has not published its full text.
Q: How much do I actually save under the new rates?
Only if your phone is valued above $100 and up to $200. In that band, income tax fell from Rs 930 to Rs 100 and the Mobile Handset Levy fell from Rs 600 to Rs 200 — together, those two charges drop from Rs 1,530 to Rs 300, saving you Rs 1,230. Phones outside that band did not receive these cuts.
Q: I imported an iPhone. Has my PTA tax gone down?
No. Every iPhone falls in the above-$500 band, and that band saw no change at all in the Finance Act 2026 — the 25% sales tax remains exactly as it was. The same applies to Samsung’s Galaxy S series. The total burden on an imported phone was cited to the NA finance committee at roughly 54% of its value.
Q: How can I confirm the exact tax on my phone before paying?
Generate your payment slip in DIRBS. The slip lists every charge separately, so you can check the income tax and Mobile Handset Levy lines against the new rates for your phone’s value band. If a line still shows an old figure, query it before paying — the slip, not social media, is the amount you will actually be charged.
Sources
- https://pakera.pk/mobile-phone-import-tax-no-further-cuts-finance-act-2026-pakistan/