Skip to main content

Telcos: We are burdened by taxes




The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators in Nigeria (ALTON) says its members are burdened by taxes.

The association said multiple taxes have been impacting negatively on their operations adding that the 2015 Amended Taxes and Levies Order has led to the imposition of arbitrary levies and charges on telecom firms by state governments.

Addressing journalists on Tuesday, Gbenga Adebayo, ALTON chairman, said that item 3 (b) of the Amended Schedule to the Taxes and Levies (Approved List for Collection) Act introduced new levies and taxes under items 12 to 25.

“ALTON is concerned that the Amended Taxes & Levies Order, 2015 engendered the institution of the multiplicity of taxes across different tiers of government. The industry is also burdened with the enactment of laws at the state government level to legitimize spurious levies and charges on our members, which negates the ease of doing business in Nigeria.


“It is disturbing that the entire instrument has given the state governments authorization to coerce and disrupt the operations of our members in order to compel the payment of sundry levies, charges, and taxes.

“Rather than the amended order addressing the issue of multiple taxations, it, on the contrary, increased the tax burden of our members and adversely impacted the ease of doing business in Nigeria.”

Adebayo requested that Kemi Adeosun, the minister of finance, review the order and the federal government issue an executive order declaring telecom infrastructure as critical national security and economic infrastructure as prescribed in the 2015 Cybercrime Act.

“It is pertinent to state that unless telecoms facilities have the first level of protection by the government, it will be difficult to provide uninterrupted services to the citizenry.”

The ministry of finance together with Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has in recent times made efforts to increase the level of tax compliance including a nine-month tax amnesty programme to give individuals and companies room to regularise their taxes.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jerry Eze Launches $300,000 Empowerment Grant to Support Young Business Owners

  Renowned pastor, author, and global prayer movement leader, Jerry Eze , has unveiled a $300,000 grant scheme aimed at empowering young entrepreneurs and supporting innovative business ideas across communities. The initiative is designed to provide financial relief, encouragement, and practical support to youths who are passionate about building sustainable businesses but face funding challenges. According to Jerry Eze, the grant scheme is part of his broader vision to promote economic empowerment, self-reliance, and hope among young people . He emphasized that many talented youths have viable ideas but lack the resources to bring them to life. Through this program, selected beneficiaries will receive funding to either start new ventures or expand existing ones. The grant is expected to be disbursed in phases, reaching multiple entrepreneurs from different sectors such as agriculture, technology, creative industries, fashion, and small-scale manufacturing. Beyond financial as...
Post a Comment
Read more

ECOWAS declared state of emergency in West Africa

Dr Omar Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission declared a state of emergency on Tuesday amid escalating violent extremism and terror, military coups d’etat, banditry, and political instability in the sub-region. Touray declared this during the 55th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council (MSC) at the Ministerial level in Abuja. He said the events of the last few weeks had shown the imperative of serious introspection on the future of democracy and the urgent need to invest in the sub-region’s security. According to him, country-by-country analyses of member states shows different risk levels across the sub-region from high to medium, with a high risk average, which requires immediate and concerted action. “Faced with this situation, it is safe to declare that our community is in a state of emergency. We must confront these threats with the attention they deserve. “For that, the sessions of the mediation and security council should be organized more regularly b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Aide Reveals Reasons Plateau Governor Is Defecting to APC

  Caleb Muftwang of Plateau is set to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. Mr Istifanus Nwansat, the political adviser to the governor, made this known in an interview with newsmen on Monday in Abuja. Nwansat said that the governor’s decision to join the APC was because it’s the option with the least risk in the face of the chaos in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Caleb Muftwang of Plateau is set to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report Mr Istifanus Nwansat, the political adviser to the governor, made this known in an interview with newsmen on Monday in Abuja. Nwansat said that the governor’s decision to join the APC was because it’s the option with the least risk in the face of the chaos in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He explained that the impending defection of Muftwang to the APC would also align with President Bola Tinubu’s political and governance trajectory on ...
Post a Comment
Read more