Sharp decline witnessed in manufacturing of local cellphones

A marked reduction has been noticed in the local manufacturing of cellphones due to a drop in their sales following the imposition of 18 per cent general sales tax on them in the budget for the next financial year, 2024-25, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Thursday.   

According to the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority’s (PTA) report, compared with July 2023, 20 per cent less cellphones were manufactured in July 2024.

The PTA has said that the production of cellphones in the country in July 2024 dropped by 62 per cent compared with the preceding month.  

The Authority has further said that local firms manufactured over 1.6 million cellphones in July this year.

However, the report has informed that a sharp rise has been noticed in the sale of these phones in the first seven months of the ongoing year compared with the first seven months of the last year, 2023.

Furthermore, it has said that the cellphones manufactured in the first seven months of 2024, surpassing 10 million mark, were double that of what were manufactured during the same period last year.   

Reporter: Ashraf Khan