FBR Finally Allows Installment Payments of PTA Tax on Imported Phones

More than two months after the administration unveiled an installment facility for PTA taxes on mobile phones, the Federal Board of Revenue has now allowed individuals to pay sales tax on imported devices in installments.

Key points

• As explained in FBR Circular No, the facility was introduced through a new provision in the Ninth Schedule of the Sales Tax Act, 1990.
• The facility will operate through the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority's Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS).
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• The facility was introduced through amendments created under the Finance Act, 2026.
• The administration additionally withdrew the duty free facility for mobile phones brought by travelers from abroad from July 2019.

In practice, the facility will operate through the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority's Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS).

As explained in FBR Circular No, the facility was introduced through a new provision in the Ninth Schedule of the Sales Tax Act, 1990. 1 of 2026 issued on September 11.

Under the new provision, individuals can split their sales tax payments instead of paying the entire amount at once. Nevertheless, all instalments must be paid before the end of the financial year in which the mobile phone is imported.

Now the ball is in the PTA's court to introduce a mechanism for instalment payments. PM Shehbaz Announces Petrol Subsidy Again for Bikers and Small Cars.

Meanwhile, the facility was introduced through amendments created under the Finance Act, 2026. It allows flexibility in paying the applicable tax while still requiring the full liability to be cleared within the prescribed financial year.

Pakistan introduced the Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS) in December 2018 to identify unregistered mobile phones and block devices that did not meet tax and registration requirements. The administration additionally withdrew the duty free facility for mobile phones brought by travelers from abroad from July 2019.

Since then, imported devices have generally required payment of applicable duties and taxes before registration for employ on local networks, placing the tax burden directly on individuals bringing phones into Pakistan. Stay Connected with ProPakistani.

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For now, FBR Finally Allows Installment Payments of PTA Tax on Imported Phones remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.