Professor Isa Pantami, said the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy will resist any move to impose an inclusive excise duty on telecommunications services in Nigeria.
The Minister disclosed this, Monday, at the ongoing maiden edition of the Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE) organized by the Nigerian Communications Commission in Lagos.
Recall that the Minister of Finance Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed last week announced that the Federal Government will implement 5 percent inclusive excise duty on telecommunications services in the country.
Pantami said: “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.”
According to Pantami, there are almost seven sectors in Nigeria’s economy that are only contributing almost less than 2 percent to Nigeria’s economy.
Pantami said ICT contributes more than other sectors should be encouraged, saying that sectors contributing less to GDP should be monitored properly and ensure they do more.
“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 said telecom services such as broadband have become a necessity and without them, nothing could be done in various sectors.
“How can you do financial services in Nigeria without broadband, how can you communicate with ourselves, how can you have a hospital without Internet?