Osman Gunduz: Cabinet�s Decision on Fees for Registering Phones Disgraceful

Fees for registration of cellular phones brought by individuals from abroad in the Ministry of Communications, Transport and High Technologies have risen in Azerbaijan sharply, from five to 30-150 manat, depending on the characteristics of the device. The decree of the Cabinet of Ministers on new duties was published on July 31. Without registration, the new phone is disconnected from the network. The innovation does not apply to companies that bring phones to the country for sale.

Mobile devices whose market price does not exceed $ 100, which do not have photo and video functions and do not support Internet access, are subject to state duty of 20 manat. The registration of devices whose brand and model, as well as market value at the time of registration, were not listed in the catalog on the official website of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of Azerbaijan, is also subject to state duty of 20 manat. In other cases the amount of state fee for individuals purchasing mobile devices for personal use will be:

At the market price of the device up to 100 dollars - 30 manat;

At the market price of the device from 101 to 200 dollars - 50 manat;

At the market price of the device from 201 to 400 dollars - 60 manat;

At the market price of the device from 401 to 700 dollars - 70 manat;

At the market price of the device from 701 to 1,000 dollars - 100 manat;

At the market price of the device from 1,001 dollars and above - 150 manat.

Previously, the state fee for individuals was 5 manat, regardless of the market price of the mobile device purchased for personal use.

Interests of Wholesalers Will Be Satisfied

After two devaluations of the Azerbaijani manat, it became more profitable for citizens to bring telephones from a foreign trip. Numerous Azerbaijani tourists, who bring their phones from abroad to themselves, relatives and for sale, now will not pay off in this way, since henceforth the profit from the "personal telephone business" is zero or greatly reduced. Accordingly, the owners of companies engaged in the wholesale import of cell phones are happy, as buyers who previously bought phones abroad will rush into their stores.

The procedure for registration of telephones in the Ministry of Communications has not become more expensive for this agency. Hence, new duties are applied to replenish the state budget and protect the interests of wholesalers.

Reaction of Society

In society, this news was painful, considering it a continuation of the increase in the price of travel in public transport, two increases in the cost of gasoline and a constant increase in the price of food. Experts predict an autumn rise in price of electricity, diesel oil, fuel oil and again gasoline.

"Why these duties, and not others, what is their size, what will they give you - even if it is tens of thousands of manat? Will they help to significantly replenish the budget? Why, following the increase in the public transport fares by 50%, are you now so drastically raising duties on registration of mobile devices? Why are you angering people? Are you provoking them?" the blogger Hamid Hamidov asks the government.

A public figure, military expert Uzeir Javarov is surprised that in Azerbaijan, in the 21st century, they are not concerned with progress or information technologies, but are trying to make money on absurd and unjustified decisions. He considers the government's decision to be regressive, saying "it is necessary to cancel it, and the initiators of the stupid idea must be urgently brought to justice."

The increase in fees for the registration of mobile phones at least 4 times, a maximum of 30 times, was criticized by a public expert, Director of the NGO Multimedia Osman Gunduz on Facebook. "I urgently consider it necessary to speak out and call the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers a shame that does not fit into normal logic," the expert said.

He wants to know the authors of this decision, who submitted the draft of the rise in the duties to the Cabinet, considering these officials lobbyists of groups of people who earn money by selling phones in Azerbaijan. Osman Gunduz believes that by such actions the lobbyists hinder the introduction of new technologies, such as 4G, 5G and LTE, e-government and digital society in Azerbaijan, since it will be unprofitable to purchase devices that support high-speed traffic. The expert suggests that by initiating and deciding on duties, the Cabinet opposes the President's policy of stimulating innovation and the development of electronic society.

Osman Gunduz urged the Presidential Administration to react urgently to the decision of the Cabinet on the introduction of new fees for the registration of cell phones: "The decision must be canceled, the lobbyists must be identified and appropriate measures must be taken against them."--0--