FBR Allows Instalment Payments for Sales Tax on Unregistered Mobile Phones

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has introduced a new facility allowing eligible individuals to pay sales tax in instalments to register imported mobile phones that are currently unregistered in Pakistan.

Under the revised procedure, sales tax payable on imported mobile phones can be divided into equal monthly instalments spread over the remaining months of the financial year. Eligible users will be able to avail themselves of the facility through the Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS).

According to the revised mechanism, applicants must select the instalment payment option at the time of submitting their registration applications. The number of instalments will correspond to the number of months remaining in the financial year in which the application is submitted.

The first instalment must be paid through the Payment Slip ID (PSID) generated when the application is submitted. Subsequent instalments will have to be paid monthly by their respective due dates through separate PSIDs.

The FBR has made it mandatory for applicants to clear all instalments before June 30. Users will also be allowed to pay the outstanding instalments ahead of schedule.

However, strict conditions will apply to those opting for the facility. If a user fails to pay an instalment by the prescribed due date, they will be considered a defaulter.

In such cases, the mobile phone may be declared unregistered and blocked through DIRBS. Furthermore, any delay in payment will make the entire remaining sales tax immediately payable, and the user will lose the facility to pay the tax in further instalments.

The revised mechanism is intended to provide eligible users with greater flexibility in paying sales tax on imported mobile phones while maintaining compliance with registration and payment requirements.