MINISTER of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, yesterday took a swipe at Federal Government’s plans to impose five per cent excise duty on telecommunications services in the country.
He also vowed to use every legal instrument available to fight the decision as, according to him, the decision didn’t go through wide consultation, adding that if the decision was allowed to stand, it would affect the sector negatively.
The minister, who spoke at the maiden edition of the Nigerian Telecommunications indigenous Content Expo, NTICE, in Lagos, said the sector, which was already attracting huge revenue, creating jobs and adding huge revenue to the GDP, should not be over burdened with such taxes.
He said: “The 5 per cent excise duty will over burden the industry. As a Minister I was neither consulted nor received a memo to that effect. Even the relevant lawmakers that were supposed to be consulted have also told me they were not.
”Things are not done that way. Besides criticising the tax, we will take every legal measure to ensure the tax does not stand.”
Pantami also lamented the huge percentage of importation of ICT and telecoms equipment into the country, even when some of them could be obtained in the country.
