Telecom sector gets status of Industry: IT Minister

By Uzma Zafar

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Syed Amin Ul Haque on Thursday said that telecommunication sector has been given the status of industry and it will enjoy the benefits at par with other industries.
Addressing a press conference he said, “This will be a good news for the telecom sector and for the nation that the federal cabinet has approved to give status of industry to telecom sector and now onward the industry will enjoy all the benefits, which the other industries of the country are availing. “
The government considering the request of IT ministry, has reduced federal excise duty 6 percent along with tax reduction on various services to give maximum benefit to the general public and telecom sector. He said that Rs 250 being paid on the purchase of any sim had also been withdrawn and this will be beneficial for the public.
Sharing the achievements of his ministry he said, Information and Communication Technology export remittances including export of Telecommunication, computer and information services, surged to US $958 million at a growth rate of 40%.