KATHMANDU

Tax more than Rs 10,000 will be levied on iphone and mobile brought from foreign countries and costing over Rs 100,000. The government has introduced provisions of levying Rs 3,000 tax on other smart phones and Rs 200 tax on rest of the mobiles other than smart phones.

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 above-mentioned tax in lump sum mentioning the IIME number as well. “Tax would be charged at the rate Rs 10,000 per an iphone and a mobile set priced over Rs 100,000, Rs 3,000 per set of other smart phone and Rs 200 per set for other general phone sets except smart phone,” the Finance Bill reads.

However, the NTA shall register one set of mobile phone free of charge if a person using the mobile produces evidence that one had gone on foreign employment taking the labour approval and returned home after staying abroad for more than six months. Likewise, the government has levied one percent service charge for persons going on foreign employment. “An individual who has acquired license for operating foreign employment business shall have to pay the Foreign Employment Service Charge at the rate of one percent on the amount collected from the person who is 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 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 percent interest rate in case of failure to deposit the foreign employment service charge.