The Federal Government has announced that telecommunications subscribers would pay a five percent tax on calls, SMS, and data services.?
?Meanwhile, stakeholders in the industry have expressed displeasure over the government’s resolve to implement a five percent excise duty on all telecommunications services in Nigeria.?
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Speaking in Abuja yesterday at the Stakeholders Consultative Forum on Implementation of Excise Duty, the Executive Secretary, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Ajibola Olude, said taking cognizance of the hardship in Nigeria at a time like this, the government should revoke its decision to implement the five percent excise duty on telecommunications operators.?
He said the government should channel its resources to other sectors to modify the economy.?
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“What I am saying is that the proposed excise duty on all telecommunications companies is badly intended by the Ministry of Finance and National Planning and Nigeria Customs. And the current state of Nigerian communication is so bad that only about 756 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) were registered but only 10 are active because of forex issues. Since it is coming from the Ministry of Finance, I think they should understand that presently Nigeria is faced with inflationary pressure, which is 18 percent now. If you add this increase, the level of inflationary pressure will come to 19 or 20 percent. And this will further enhance the level of poverty in the country.’’?
