Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, has kicked against yet another attempts by the Federal Government to add a five per cent excise duty to telecommunication services.
When implemented, this will bring the total tax telecom consumers pay for telecom services to 12.5 percent.
He disclosed this while speaking in Lagos at the ongoing exhibition organised by the Nigeria Office for Developing the indigenous Telecom Sector, an agency domiciled in the Nigerian Communications Commission.
His words, ”
“I have not been officially informed about it and we at the Ministry are not satisfied with any effort to introduce excise duty on telecommunications.We will definitely challenge the decision.”
“And if we fail to do that, we will continue to increase and increase tax by the day by. You introduce excise duty when it comes to maybe discouraging the consumption of statistics like alcohol, like tobacco and many pieces where you didn’t produce it.”
He stated that the telecom sector already contributes a lot to the Nigerian economy, and adding more taxes could impact negatively its growth.
He urged the government to consider taxing other sectors of the economy that are not contributing to national development.
