Massage chairs, foot massagers, massage guns and other body massaging equipment are likely to become more expensive in Pakistan after the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) raised their customs values at the import stage.
The revised values will be used for the assessment of customs duties and taxes on imported products. The Directorate General of Customs Valuation Karachi issued a fresh valuation ruling after reviewing import data, market information, product specifications and prevailing prices of the items.
The previous valuation ruling for these products had been withdrawn following changes in units of measurement under different Pakistan Customs Tariff headings.
The Directorate said the products have since seen significant changes in technology, models, specifications and features. Import and assessment data also showed considerable differences between declared and assessed values.
As part of the fresh valuation exercise, officials reviewed import records and submissions from stakeholders. Representatives of Healthy Space (Private) Limited, which imports ZERO brand massage chairs, also participated in the valuation meeting.
The company said its imported massage chairs were mostly basic, low-end models and submitted documents regarding their weight.
The Directorate also reviewed official product information, which showed that massage chairs are available with different technologies, including 3D and 4D systems. It noted that the brand name alone cannot determine the category of a massage chair.
For customs valuation, the actual model, technology, specifications and features will therefore be considered.
The Directorate also conducted market surveys of retail outlets and showrooms. It found that massage chairs were mainly sold through brand outlets, showrooms and official websites rather than wholesale markets.
Based on import data, market surveys, retail prices, online prices and technical specifications, the products have been divided into six categories for valuation purposes: Basic/2D Massage Chairs, 3D Massage Chairs, 4D Massage Chairs, Foot Massagers, Massage Guns and Other Body Massagers/Equipment.
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