The Sindh Revenue Board (SRB) has suspended the sales tax registration of Wateen Telecom Limited due to the company’s failure to remit collected sales tax to the provincial treasury. The decision came after an audit revealed significant lapses in tax payments by the telecom provider.
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FBR sets up information booth at ITCN Asia
KARACHI: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has setup an informative booth for ease of doing business at ITCN Asia Expo 2019 to be continued September 17-19 at Karachi Expo Center.
The setting up of the informative booth is aimed at enlightening the industry players, youth and the other stakeholders about the role FBR is playing in Ease of Doing Business in Pakistan and other facilitative measures being taken for the taxpayers, traders and investors.
The team of FBR is led by Mustafa Sajjad Hassan, Member Facilitation & Taxpayers Education (FATE) who is assisted by Ms. Tehmina Aamer, Chief (FATE) and Field officials of RTO, Karachi.
The event has provided an opportunity to not only comprehend the challenges and concerns faced by industrialists and business community but also to enlighten them about the new initiatives taken by FBR to reduce the hurdles of doing business.
Through this platform, FBR aims to create awareness about the simplification of filing process, alternative modes of tax payment with ease, automation of sales tax registration and sales tax refund system besides other facilitative measure taken by FBR.
The setting up of information booth will also help to get valuable feedback of industry leaders, businesses and most importantly the youth that is shaping the future narrative transforming business and industry outlook in the region.
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Apple launches iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max smartphones
CUPERTINO, California: Apple on Tuesday announced iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, a new pro line for iPhone that delivers advanced performance for users who want the very best smartphone.
The new Super Retina XDR display is a pro display with the brightest display ever in an iPhone, a statement said.
The powerful Apple-designed A13 Bionic chip provides unparalleled performance for every task while enabling an unprecedented leap in battery life to easily get through the day.
A new triple-camera system provides a pro-level camera experience with an Ultra Wide, Wide and Telephoto camera, delivering huge improvements to low-light photography and offering the highest quality video in a smartphone that is great for shooting action videos.
iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max come in four gorgeous finishes including a beautiful new midnight green, and will be available for pre-order beginning Friday, September 13 and in stores beginning Friday, September 20.
“iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max are the most powerful and advanced smartphones we have ever made. They are packed with sophisticated technology that pros can count on to get their work done, and for anyone who wants the very best device made, even if they are not a pro,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iPhone 11 Pro has the first triple-camera system in iPhone and is far and away the best camera we’ve ever made, it provides our customers with great range of creative control and advanced photo and video editing features in iOS 13. The Super Retina XDR is the brightest and most advanced display in iPhone and the A13 Bionic chip sets a new bar for smartphone performance and power efficiency.”
The statement said that the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max have a textured matte glass back and polished stainless steel band, and come in four stunning finishes including a beautiful new midnight green. The most powerful devices are also designed to be durable — iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max feature the toughest glass ever in a smartphone and are rated IP68 for water resistance up to 4 meters for up to 30 minutes, and are protected against everyday spills including coffee and soda.
The new Super Retina XDR display, a custom-designed OLED, provides users an immersive HDR viewing experience for movies and other high-definition video with up to 1,200 nits brightness.
Super Retina XDR features wide color support with system-wide color management and True Tone to offer a more natural viewing experience. With a 2 million-to-one contrast ratio with true blacks, pro users can enjoy a more vivid viewing experience for HDR videos and photos, and the Super Retina XDR display is even more power efficient.
Customers can interact with their favorite apps in a quick, seamless way with Haptic Touch deeply integrated across iOS 13 to provide app shortcuts for everyday tasks right from the Home screen, including taking a selfie in Camera, checking an appointment in Calendar or previewing email within Mail with just a simple press
Fastest Performance with the Best Battery Life A13 Bionic, the fastest chip ever in a smartphone, provides unparalleled performance for every task iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max handle and features up to 20 percent faster CPU and GPU than A12. A13 Bionic is built for machine learning, with a faster Neural Engine for real-time photo and video analysis, and new Machine Learning Accelerators that allow the CPU to deliver more than 1 trillion operations per second. Together, A13 Bionic and iOS 13 make up the best machine learning platform in a smartphone.
All of this compute, graphics and ML performance is delivered while still enabling an unprecedented leap in battery life, with iPhone 11 Pro offering up to four more hours of battery life in a day than iPhone XS, and iPhone 11 Pro Max offering up to five hours more than iPhone XS Max.
A Pro Camera System for Everyone
iPhone 11 Pro introduces a transformative triple-camera system with all-new Ultra Wide, Wide and Telephoto cameras, deeply integrated into iOS to create a pro-level camera experience designed for everyone.
iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max set a new standard in video, with the highest quality video ever in a smartphone. Each camera in the triple-camera system records brilliant 4K video with extended dynamic range and cinematic video stabilization. With a wider field of view and large focal plane, the Ultra Wide camera is great for shooting action videos. Users can easily zoom between each of the three cameras, while Audio Zoom matches the audio to the video framing for more dynamic sound. With iOS 13, powerful video editing tools are accessible to everyone with the ability to rotate, crop, increase exposure and apply filters to videos instantly. These adjustments are easy to apply and review at a glance, so even a novice can create professional quality video projects.
With the tight integration between hardware and software, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max take the traditional camera experience even further in a way only Apple can. The all-new Ultra Wide camera fundamentally changes the camera experience by capturing four times more scene, great for taking landscape or architecture photos, tight shots and more.
The new Wide sensor with 100 percent Focus Pixels and advanced software enables Night mode, and delivers huge improvements to photos shot in indoor and outdoor low-light environments, resulting in brighter images with natural colors and reduced noise.
The triple-camera system takes Portrait mode to a new level with the ability to choose Wide and Telephoto framing, enabling Portrait mode with a wider field of view, great for taking portraits of multiple people. The Telephoto camera features a larger ƒ/2.0 aperture to capture 40 percent more light compared to iPhone Xs for better photos and videos.Next-generation Smart HDR uses advanced machine learning to recognize subjects in the frame and intelligently relight them for more natural-looking images with greater detail. A new True Tone flash is over 30 percent brighter. Deep Fusion, coming later this fall, is a new image processing system enabled by the Neural Engine of A13 Bionic. Deep Fusion uses advanced machine learning to do pixel-by-pixel processing of photos, optimizing for texture, details and noise in every part of the photo.
A redesigned camera interface provides a more immersive experience that works together with the triple-camera system and all-screen display to let users see and capture the area outside of the frame. For the first time, users can easily record video without switching out of Photo mode with QuickTake by simply holding the shutter button to start recording.
The new TrueDepth camera introduces a new 12MP camera with a wider field of view to capture selfies, and next-generation Smart HDR enables more natural-looking photos. Expressive selfie videos take on a whole new look with the TrueDepth camera that now records 4K video at up to 60 fps and 120 fps slo-mo.
Additional Features
The new Apple-designed U1 chip uses Ultra Wideband technology, the first ever in a smartphone, for spatial awareness. With iOS 13.1 coming on September 30, AirDrop gets even better with directionally aware suggestions.
Face ID, the most secure facial authentication in a smartphone, gets up to 30 percent faster and easier to use with improved performance at varying distances and support for more angles.
Spatial audio provides an immersive surround sound experience and Dolby Atmos delivers powerful, moving audio to iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max.
Gigabit-class LTE up to 1.6Gbps and Wi-Fi 6 allow for even faster download speeds2 and Dual SIM with eSIM.Featuring iOS 13
iOS 13 on iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max delivers a seamless experience with software and hardware integration unlike any other smartphone. iOS 13 introduces a dramatic new look with Dark Mode, a more private way to sign in to apps and websites with Sign In with Apple, and an all-new Maps experience.4
With advanced Camera and Photos features, photo editing is more comprehensive and intuitive with powerful new tools that now extend to video editing.Portrait Lighting adjustments can be made right in the Camera app to adjust the intensity of light on a subject, and a new High-Key Mono effect creates a beautiful, monochromatic look for Portrait mode photos.
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Two cellular companies pay $449 million as license renewal fees
ISLAMABAD: The government has received $449 million from two cellular companies as license renewal fees.
“The government of Pakistan has received payment amounting to $224.6 million and Rs 35.262 billion (equivalent of $224.6 million) from two cellular companies respectively as their license renewal fee,” says a press statement issued by the Ministry of Finance on Tuesday.
According to the statement, the license renewal fee of telecom companies collected by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority is a significant source of non-tax revenue for the federal government.
“The government received Rs 35.2 billion from Jazz and US$ 224.6 million from Telenor in partial settlement for their cellular license renewal,” Dr. Hafeez Shaikh, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance, said in a twitter message.
“Good news for the telecom industry and revenue collection of the federal government,” he added.
Due to stay orders given by the apex court, the collection of this renewal fee from two telecom companies which was budgeted in previous fiscal year had been delayed.
However, with the efforts of the Adviser to Prime Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, his team led by Secretary Finance and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, due payment from the two companies has now been received by the government.
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Zong becomes first operator to conduct successful 5G trial
ISLAMABAD: Zong CMPAK has become the 1st Pakistani telecom operator to have successfully conducted the 5G trial, said a statement issued by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Friday.
The PTA said that this year it unveiled its roadmap for facilitating public testing of 5G technology and related services in Pakistan in line with the policy of the government.
Zong CMPAK has become the 1st Pakistani telecom operator to have successfully conducted the 5G trial.
This is a proud moment for Pakistan and testament to the accelerating technological innovation within the country.
Wireless technology developments, like 5G are expected to deliver increased flexibility, reliability and capacity to help meet requirements of a Digital Pakistan.
This trial is the first one being conducted and there will be more on the different scenarios of 5G in the near future. PTA, as a regulator of ICT sector, is committed to supporting technology and innovation in Pakistan.
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Ufone celebrates week-long 72 years of Pakistan’s independence
ISLAMABAD: Ufone concluded its week-long Azaadi celebration on account of Pakistan’s 72 years of Independence with full patriotic fervor.
The entire organization participated with immense passion and reflected their love for Pakistan. Activities for Azaadi Week carried on for the entire week.
The company portrayed true patriotism through a series of activities aligned nationwide across Ufone offices ensuring that the spirit of Independence was felt throughout.
Each activity allowed employees to connect with the rich culture and heritage of the country, enabling them to demonstrate their affection for their beloved homeland.
In addition, to celebrate the 72nd Independence of Pakistan honoring the spirit of freedom, Ufone set free 72 pigeons into the free sky of Islamabad.
On this occasion, President and CEO of Ufone, Rashid Khan along with Executive Management Team hoisted the national flag, employees sang the national anthem and vouched to serve their countries to the best of their abilities.
The telecom operator has always taken great pride in the heritage and traditions of Pakistan; the brand has focused on appreciating the individuality and strength of every Pakistani.
Through its various campaigns, Ufone has always identified unique and strong Pakistanis who have made a mark for themselves along with making their country proud.
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Huwaei to set up regional headquarters in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Huwaei Group has announced to set up its regional headquarters in Pakistan and also announced to invest around $100 million this year in the country.
Vice President of Huwaei Group, Mark Xueman, who along-with a delegation called on Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Reform Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar in Islamabad on Wednesday.
Vice President of Huawei said that Pakistan is a strategic market for Pakistan and said that the company will invest around $100 million in the country this year.
He apprised that Huawei will also set up a regional headquarters in Islamabad at a cost of $55 million that will create job opportunities for young engineers in Pakistan.
He further informed that Huawei will also invest $15 million more in its Technical support Centre in Pakistan and it will also hire more work force for the same taking the number of its staff from 600 to 800 this year.
He stated that Huawei is eager to initiate more projects in Pakistan on grant funding from Chinese government.
Federal Minister Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar appreciated Huawei’s continued engagement in Pakistan and said that the leading technological company can support in developing and upgrading IT sector of Pakistan.
Secretary Planning Zafar Hasan, PD CPEC Hassan Daud and senior officials of the ministry were also present.
Makhdum Khusro noted that Huawei has 25 percent share in mobile industry of Pakistan and is also the top taxing paying Chinese company in the country.
The Minister appreciated Huawei’s engagement with HEC for smart schools project with the latest information and communications technology equipment.
The Minister underlined on exploring new business models for future projects and joint ventures in Pakistan.
He said that Huawei can contribute to the Government’s e-governance initiative as well in centralizing data to improve efficiency and productivity. The Minister opined that Huawei can support IT start-up projects in Pakistan to benefit the youth in this important sector.
The minister assured of the ministry’s all possible cooperation in future joint ventures.
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Finance Act 2019: advance tax exempted on personal baggage mobile phones
ISLAMABAD: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has exempted the advance tax on mobile phone brought into Pakistan by passengers under Baggage Rules, 2006.
The Finance Act, 2019 stated that the provisions of section 148 shall not apply on mobile phones brought in personal baggage under the Baggage Rules, 2006.
The rate of advance tax to be collected by the Collector of Customs under section 148 shall be-
S.No. C & F Value of mobile phone (in US Dollar) Tax (in Rs.)
(1) (2) (3) 1 Up to 30 70 2 Exceeding 30 and up to 100 730 3 Exceeding 100 and up to 200 930 4 Exceeding 200 and up to 350 970 5 Exceeding 350 and up to 500 3,000 6 Exceeding 500 5,200 -
Duty exemption on foreign bandwidth services withdrawn
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has announced the withdrawal of duty exemption on foreign bandwidth services provided by telecom operators.
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FBR advised to allow tax adjustment on telecom services
KARACHI: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has been urged to allow adjustment of withholding tax on services provided telecom sector.
The Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) in tax proposals for budget 2019/2020 recommended that the eight percent minimum tax regime should be withdrawn and should be made adjustable.
The OICCI said that through Finance Act, 2016, an amendment was made in Section 153(1)(b) of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 whereby the 8 percent withholding tax deducted against the services provided by telecom companies, along with other service providers, have been subjected to a charge of minimum tax instead of adjustable regardless their actual income or loss.
This tax has thus changed the character of income tax from a direct tax to an indirect tax as the amount of charge would no longer be applicable on the quantum of income actually earned even under the standard income tax rules.
Furthermore, the exorbitant rate of 8 percent will seriously erode the profitability, or further increase the losses, of the telecommunication industry which according to independent reports is in shackles and is already the victim of discriminatory taxation.
Consequent to the above amendment in the law, non-issuance of exemption certificates under Section 153(1)(b) on Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 in view of the imposition of the minimum tax has also increased the administrative burden of both the telecommunication companies and the withholding tax monitoring units of FBR as the tax that was previously deposited lump-sum as advance tax is now being collected by thousands of corporate customers across Pakistan.