Continued ban on iPhone imports could lead to economic catastrophe
A spokesman for the Mobile Importers Association believes that the negative consequences of the iPhone import ban outweigh the benefits. In an interview with Digito, Mohammad Reza Alian said that the consequences of this decision are the loss of employment, the reduction of government revenue and the resurgence of trafficking. According to Alian, about $ 1 billion is spent annually on the import of flagship phones and iPhones, and if this decision continues, the import of iPhones will enter the smuggling route and its currency will be provided from the free market, which will lead to an economic catastrophe.
The mobile market in 1401 faced various challenges that led to an upward trend in the price of this consumer product. Its latest challenge as well Temporary suspension of iPhone imports until 31 May It is the moon; A stop that seems to be a sign of a permanent ban. “Mohammad Reza Alian,” a spokesman for the Mobile Importers Association, told Digito about the details of the restriction:
“Some importing companies that wanted to register or modify their orders in the comprehensive system were faced with a message that it was not possible to place an order for Apple-branded phones. “According to this message, the restriction will last until May 20.”
“It is likely that such a decision was made temporarily to provide the currency, given that the dried fruit exporters were unable to provide the currency needed to import phones over $ 600,” Alian said. “But because only the iPhone brand is mentioned, this possibility is diminished.”
He cited the trial and error of the permanent ban on iPhone imports as another possibility due to lawmakers’ efforts and pressure on the Ministry of Silence to ban them. “They will make their final decision based on that.”
A spokesman for the Mobile Importers Association said he hoped such a possibility would be wrong, as he believed the import ban would have no effect other than monopoly and corruption.
Consequences of the iPhone import ban: from youth unemployment to economic pressure
Stressing that the negative consequences of such a decision outweigh the benefits, Alian called the boom in iPhone smuggling the biggest threat and told Digito:
“Even in the last two weeks, we have seen an increase in passenger smuggling. Some profiteers have regained power and handed over passports to smugglers to register their phones. “According to our latest information, smuggling imports of one terabyte iPhone 13 Promex will result in a profit of about 10 million tomans.”
Referring to the $ 1 billion allocated to flagship phone imports last year, he stressed that the smuggling boom would lead to a major economic catastrophe. “He had.”
A spokesman for the Mobile Importers Association said that according to estimates, about 5,000 trade unions are dedicated to selling, repairing and supplying iPhone accessories, adding that such a restriction would lead to a large wave of youth unemployment.
According to him, in addition to these union units, more than 100 companies have allocated a large part of their phone imports to the iPhone brand, which will also suffer from this decision: “Anyway, these people have been marketing for several years and gaining market share. “They have tried and can not be asked overnight to work on another brand.”
Alian said that about one million iPhones are activated in the Iranian network every year, adding that the dissatisfaction of a large number of consumers is another consequence of this decision. “The use of the term ‘luxury goods’ for iPhones is misleading,” he said.
“This phone has become a user-friendly product with the ecosystem it provides. “This has made the iPhone one of the top sellers in the world, and such a product cannot be called luxury.”
He pointed to another negative effect of the decision, saying: “According to the latest decisions, the surplus of customs duties and customs duties on imports of phones over $ 600 was to be paid to the domestic mobile phone production fund. “But with such restrictions, the main source of the fund is practically blocked, and at the same time there is a significant reduction in government revenue.”
A spokesman for the Mobile Importers Association expressed hope that restrictions on mobile phone imports would be lifted and that the necessary currency supply would return to normal.