Action will be taken to stop illegal importation of mobile phones as it deprives the country a considerable amount of tax income, Finance State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said.
The Minister made this comment during a meeting with a group of mobile phone importers at the Ministry premises on Tuesday. The IMEI numbers of all mobile phones which are imported to the country legally are registered at the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority, and that number is used to track the mobile phone when it is either misplaced or used in any illegal activity.
However, such registration is not done for phones brought into the country illegally. Moreover, a confirmation on health safety is not found in illegally imported phones.
Considering the above facts, the Minister instructed the Customs to strengthen the existing law in that regard and also to furnish him a report on the issue by next Monday. He instructed the Trade and Investment Policy Department to take swift action to prevent illegal imports.
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