Pakistani online buyers are reporting steep tax additions on AliExpress purchases, with some cases showing taxes exceeding 70–80% of the product’s original price.
The Chinese e-commerce giant has begun displaying separate tax amounts at checkout for customers in Pakistan, leading to a significant increase in total order costs.
For example, a recent order worth $36.96 had an additional $25.87 in taxes, bringing the final amount to $62.83 — a jump of more than 70%.
This change follows the Pakistani government’s decision earlier this year to tighten controls on international e-commerce by requiring platforms like AliExpress and Temu to collect taxes at the source. The move aims to curb unregulated cross-border trade and increase domestic tax revenue.
However, the timing has raised eyebrows, as the government had also recently revoked a 5% digital services tax on foreign e-commerce platforms. The rollback, which took effect retroactively from July 1, 2025, means this digital levy should no longer apply to goods and services supplied from abroad.
Despite the rollback, AliExpress has begun applying additional tax charges, particularly on smaller imported items — a change that has yet to be reflected on platforms like Temu, where checkout totals remain unchanged for Pakistani users.
Frustrated shoppers say the added charges are making once-affordable products far more expensive, dampening enthusiasm for small-scale international purchases.
AliExpress has not released any official clarification yet. However, the platform’s checkout pages now note that “taxes are listed separately under ‘Tax’” for certain items destined for Pakistan.
Industry analysts believe this shift could have broader implications — potentially steering consumers away from global platforms and toward domestic e-commerce options that may now seem more cost-effective.