Rs 10K tax levied on foreign imported iphone and mobile costing over Rs 100,000

Kathmandu: A tax of more than Rs 10,000 will be levied on iPhones and mobile brought from foreign countries and costing over Rs 100,000. The government has introduced provisions of charging Rs 3,000 tax on other smartphones and Rs 200 tax on the rest of the mobiles other than smartphones.

In the case of the mobile phones which are in use as of May 29, 2023, but which have not been registered in the mobile device management system (MDMS) implemented by Nepal Telecom Authority, the user concerned is required to pay the tax as mentioned above in lump sum mentioning the IIME number as well.

“Tax would be charged at the rate of Rs 10,000 per iPhone and a mobile set priced over Rs 100,000, Rs 3,000 per set of other smartphone and Rs 200 per set for other general phone sets except for smartphone,” the Finance Bill reads.

However, the NTA shall register one set of mobile phones free of charge if a person using the mobile produces evidence that one had gone on foreign employment taking labour approval and returned home after staying abroad for more than six months.

Likewise, the government has levied a one per cent service charge for persons going on foreign employment. “An individual who has acquired the license for operating foreign employment business shall have to pay the Foreign Employment Service Charge at the rate of one per cent on the amount collected from the person on foreign employment,” states the Finance Bill.

This amount collected from Foreign Employment Service Charge would be spent for the welfare of the person going on a foreign job, it is stated.

The foreign employment placement entrepreneur should deposit this amount in the revenue account within the 25th day of each month and forward the related statement to the Revenue Office concerned.

The Finance Bill states that this fee would be recovered at a 15 per cent interest rate in case of failure to deposit the foreign employment service charge.