Electronics import duty rises with Infinix’s market entry –Anite – The Black Examiner
Summary:
Companies in Uganda have driven smartphone growth, with over 12 million users by Q4 2022. Infinix’s Note 40 series tackles power issues with 100W fast charge and offers a 108MP camera and 256GB storage.
The State minister Finance in charge of Investment Evelyn Anite, reveals that a 25% import duty will be announced and imposed on imported phones as infinix plans to construct a phone plant in the Country.Currently, the import duty on smartphones is maintained at 10% with other taxes like Value added tax of 18% on all imported mobile phone devices.
Launching the Infinix Note 40 series in Kampala Anite, noted that the 25% import duty will act as a barrier on imported electronics in support of the locally manufactured products under the Buy Uganda Build Uganda initiative.
‘’When we build this capacity with the entry of infinix, of course we are going to take it even to 25% and that will create more demand for locally manufactured phones’’ Anite said.
According to Anite the Smart phone Company is already in advanced stages of constructing the mobile phone assembling plant in Uganda in Nakifuma –Mukono district, a move anticipated to further make quality smartphones affordable to Ugandans.
In her remarks Anite tasked the company to expedite the processes to start assembling phones in Uganda and stop suffering with too much tax on imported phones.
She went on and assured that the 1.5% stamp duty required for documents during the registration process is waived off for both foreign and local manufacturers investing in smartphone and electronics manufacturing.
Companies in Uganda have played a significant role in driving the steady increase in smartphone adoption, which surged from 4.57 million in Q1 2018 to over 12 million by Q4 2022, as reported.
According to Barnett Fan, the brand manager at Infinix, investing in new technologies is crucial in the digital era. He highlights the Infinix Note 40 series as a prime example, designed to tackle power shortage challenges.
Barnett elaborates on the innovative features of the Note 40 series, including its groundbreaking 100W fast charge technology, enabling users to reach 50% battery capacity from just 1% in eight minutes. Additionally, the series boasts a 108MP camera to fuel creativity and ample storage capacity of 256GB for storing precious memories.
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