Labour and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara said that it is vital to stop mobile phone smuggling as this causes much damage to the country’s economy. It is needed to put an end to the smuggling of unregistered mobile phones coming to the country through cargo parcel service as it deprives the government of tax revenue.
In a way it is a threat to national security, he said.
After the Union of Mobile Phone Importers explained the facts to Minister Manusha Nanayakkara regarding the organized unregistered importation of mobile phones through parcel bearers as a form of smuggling, depriving the government of tax revenue and threatening the security of the country, these issues were presented to Finance State Minister Ranjith Siambalapitiya and Minister Manusha Nanayakkara took steps to take necessary action by referring it to the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC). These facts were revealed in a discussion held yesterday (27) by the Union of Mobile Phone Importers with the Minister of Labor and Foreign Employment Nanayakkara.
The Mobile Phone Importer’s Association has said that immediate action should be taken in this regard.
The union has further requested the minister that due to the importation of mobile phones in this way in 2021, an amount of US$ 220 million has left the country illegally through the Undial system, and the tax revenue lost to the government is estimated to be Rs.7.8 billion.
Importers have pointed out to the minister that importing mobile phones without registration in this way also affects the national security and that the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission is not able to get any information regarding these mobile phones.
Responding to the union Minister Nanayakkara said that the TRC and the Finance Ministry take necessary steps to stop the illegal importation of mobile phones, which affects the country’s tax revenue and national security.
