MOBNA – Tehran Province Communication & Telecom Equipments & Accessories Union president protested against ratification of 25% tariff levied on imported mobile phone handsets, and suggested it should be lowered to 5% in order to improve the current mobile phone market.
Ahmad Mohebbi, in conversation with MOBNA, said the 25% tariff has not deterred the smugglers, and it is expected the market will soon be overwhelmed by such group.
He rated the current tariff, primarily intended to protect authorized importers, as ineffective, and suggested it should be lowered to 4%, as before, to enable authorized vendors to stand up to smugglers.
In June 2006, the tariff was raised from 4% to 60%, so as to protect domestic mobile handset manufacturers, but the increase not only failed to protect mobile phone manufacturers but boosted the activities of the smugglers instead.
In December 2007, however, the Item1 Committee lowered the tariff to 25%, which again caused dissatisfaction among authorized mobile handset importers.