Lawmakers review mobile phone taxes, crypto market expansion in Pakistan
Senate reviewed mobile phone taxes and heard how the country's crypto market has grown into one of the world's largest, PVARA said
Aamir Abbasi
Editor, Islamabad
Aamir; a journalist with 15 years of experience, working in Newspaper, TV and Digital Media. Worked in Field, covered Big Legal Constitutional and Political Events in Pakistan since 2009 with Pakistan’s Top Media Organizations. Graduate of Quaid I Azam University Islamabad.
Pakistan's Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat on Tuesday reviewed taxes on mobile phones and digital payments, while regulators briefed lawmakers on the country's rapidly growing virtual assets sector.
Federal Board of Revenue and Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority officials outlined tax policy questions and progress toward bringing cryptocurrency businesses under formal government oversight.
What did Pakistan's Senate committee decide on mobile phone taxes?
The committee did not set new tax rates but directed the FBR and Tariff Commission to submit reports on existing mobile phone taxes.
FBR officials confirmed that Parliament holds the authority to impose or withdraw taxes. Regulators noted that 35 companies now manufacture smartphones in Pakistan, pointing to growth in the domestic industry.
What concerns did lawmakers raise about tax policy?
Senator Dilawar Khan said Pakistan needed a more predictable, long-term policy framework rather than frequent changes.
Senator Sadia Abbasi urged the government to support businesses instead of burdening them with additional revenue measures. Cabinet Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal said digital payments were transforming the country's payment system and opposed imposing sales tax on mobile phones.
How big is Pakistan's crypto market?
PVARA chairman Bilal Bin Saqib told the committee that Pakistan had become the world's third-largest cryptocurrency market, with about 40 million Pakistanis holding crypto accounts.
He did not provide further details or a source for the figures. Saqib said Pakistan's young population was increasingly turning to technology and digital assets in pursuit of economic opportunities.
What is PVARA doing to regulate crypto in Pakistan?
Saqib said Pakistan had established a regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies and argued that banning the underlying technology would restrict broader technological development.
He cited global shifts toward digital finance in Dubai, Thailand and Singapore, along with Hong Kong's use of blockchain in bond issuance. Several international digital asset firms, including Binance and HTX, have applied for no-objection certificates to operate in Pakistan, and the regulator will act against unlicensed companies after September 5.
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