ISLAMABAD, Sept 13: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Wednesday announced the reduction of upto 93 per cent in the annul license fee of Card Payphone (CP) operators.

The decision along with other measures taken by the PTA would have positive impact on the business of 425 CP operators across the country.

These decisions were taken in a meeting of Association of Card Pay Phone operators held at PTA Headquarters. The meeting was chaired by PTA Chairman Maj-Gen (retired) Shahzada Alam Malik and CP operators were represented by their association’s chairman M. Rasheed Ramay. PTA Member Finance S. Nasrul Karim Ghaznavi and other officers were also present at the occasion.

According to a statement issued here the PTA would now charge only 0.1 per cent annual license fee from CP operators on their gross revenue with effect from July 1, 2006, instead of 1.5 per cent.

It would also be applicable on card payphone licensees under Class Value Added Licenses (CVAL) regime introduced on October 20, 2005. Fixed percentage charge for CP licensees was also waived off with effect from July 1, 2006. For companies having year end in December this rule would be applicable on accounts ending on December 31, 2006.

Furthermore, the authority also rescheduled the annual license fee outstanding up to June 30, 2005, for all payphone licensees. The fee shall be payable in six equal instalments on a bimonthly basis starting from December 16, 2006.

The PTA also agreed to take up the withdrawal of Withholding Tax on payphone cards with the Central Board of Revenue. Proposal in this regard will be submitted to the PTA by the Association of Payphone Operators.

PTA would also facilitate mergers and acquisition of payphone operators companies. Payphone operators would submit specific proposals to PTA for consideration of mergers.

Mobile operators would also be asked to facilitate payphone operators by offering discount on Mobile Termination Rates and to consider offering better packages to licensed payphone operators other than corporate packages they are offering.

The meeting also decided that the PTCL would pass on the benefit of second based charging of Mobile Termination Rate to payphone operators and revise its tariffs for the same accordingly.