Should the Federal Government start to implement the newly-introduced five percent tax on call, data, and other telecom services, Nigerians would consider robbery as a profession.
This is according to Ajibola Olude, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ALTON).
Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance and National Planning, on Thursday, July 28, 2022, disclosed that the Federal Government (FG) would impose the levy on Nigerians, citing the desperate need to supplement the declining oil and gas revenue.
“The issue of revenue is not something that needs to be shied away from, our revenue can no longer take care of our needs as a country. Also, Nigeria is no longer making enough money in oil revenue hence the attention is shifting to non-oil revenue,” Ahmed said as she urged stakeholders to support the implementation of the new excise duty.
Reacting to the new tax imposition, the ALTON chief expressed confidence that it would not be implemented considering the economic hardship in the country, adding that should it be floated, many people would start to rob and commit other crimes to survive.
“I don’t see the Federal Government implementing the five percent excise duty.
“The Minister for Communications and Digital Economy faulted the plan saying it didn’t follow due process. There are laid-down rules before implementing that 5 per cent excise duty. Another reason why I don’t see it being implemented is because of the current macroeconomic factors in the country. rices have not been stable, if they implement it, it will lead to an upsurge in crimes,” he stated.
Meanwhile, even though Isa Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, had fumed against the new tax, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) revealed that no less than N160.46 billion would be generated from excise duty on telecommunication services in 2023.
