Zainab Ahmed, has said the Federal Government is on course to implement a new tariff hike on data and calls

The Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, has said the Federal Government is on course to implement a new tariff hike on data and calls, starting with the implementation of a five percent excise duty tax on all voice calls, SMS, and data services.

The Special Adviser, Media & Communications to the Minister, Yunusa Abdullahi, in his statement said it was in addition to the existing 7.5 percent Value Added Tax VAT, paid for goods and services across all sectors of the economy.

The government made the disclosure on five percent excise duty during a stakeholders’ meeting, organized by the Nigerian Communications Commission NCC, the telecoms industry regulator.

Ahmed, who was represented at the meeting by the Assistant Director, Tax Policy, Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Musa Umar, noted that the five percent excise duty has been in the Finance Act 2020, but has never been implemented.