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Govt considering taxing Internet use

AMER SIAL

ISLAMABAD: The government has sought proposals from various ministries to tax the Internet use, especially the international phone calls and e-commerce, official sources told Business Recorder here on Thursday.

They said that the government has sought opinion, as the easy availability of international direct dialing via the Internet in cities has affected the revenue generating power of the PTCL.

Secondly, the trend of shopping foreign goods via the Internet is gaining popularity among the wealthy urban classes and the government thinks that e-commerce is becoming popular as many local firms are offering their products on e-bazaars.

Thirdly, the communications with various parts of the world has become less costly due to the use of e-mail and the government considers it appropriate to tax these new sources of communications to generate revenue.