Federal Govt suspends excise duty on calls and data

The Federal Government has announced an immediate suspension of the 5% excise duty that was planned to be imposed on telecommunications services in 2022.

This was made known in a statement by Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ibrahim Pantami, at a stakeholders meeting in Abuja on Monday.

He cited the increasing hardship on Nigerians, and the willingness of the President Muhammadu Buhari government to lessen the burden of the people

He revealed that the National Assembly members were not consulted, adding that the introduction of excise duty in the telecommunication and information and communications technology industry would jeopardise the successes already recorded within the industry.

He said that the excise duties are usually imposed luxury goods and not telecommunications services that are increasingly becoming essential services for the survival of the people