RD, ACD slashed on imported mobile phones

Business Recorder reported that the government has lowered regulatory duty and additional customs duty on imported mobile phones for FY2026-27. The steepest cut applies to smartphones priced above USD 500, where regulatory duty falls by Rs4,400 to Rs17,600 per handset, a 20 percent reduction. The Ministry of Commerce disclosed the revised tariffs in a brief to the National Assembly's IT and telecommunication committee.

Additional customs duty on the listed smartphone and cellular phone categories now stands at 4 percent, down from 6 percent. Regulatory duty on CBU smartphones now runs from Rs240 for handsets up to USD 30 to Rs12,000 in the USD 350 to USD 500 slab. For phones imported in CKD or SKD condition, regulatory duty fell from 5 percent to 4 percent, and the additional duty was cut to the same level. The ministry tied the changes to the FY2026-27 Budget and the National Tariff Policy 2025-30.

The changes arrive as imports of smartphones and cellular phones reached USD 1.888 billion in FY2025-26, up from USD 1.497 billion. CBU smartphone imports climbed to USD 357.7 million, more than twice the earlier level. The ministry also noted that the Mobile Device Manufacturing Policy 2020-25 has expired and a successor is still awaiting federal approval. Benefits granted under the lapsed policy stay shielded by the Fifth Schedule of the Customs Act, 1969.