The Federal Government has officially removed the 5% excise duty previously imposed on telecommunications services, including voice calls and data subscriptions.
This development was announced on Thursday through the official X (formerly Twitter) handle of the National Orientation Agency (NOA).
According to the post, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, revealed that President Bola Tinubu ordered the removal of the tax during deliberations on the newly passed Finance Act.
Dr. Maida explained that the decision is aimed at reducing the financial burden on millions of Nigerians who rely on mobile services daily. He said the President’s directive is part of a broader effort to ease economic pressures and promote growth in the digital economy.
“The removal of the tax is expected to bring relief to over 171 million active telecom subscribers nationwide, many of whom have already been impacted by a 50% increase in service tariffs earlier this year,” Maida stated.
The now-scrapped 5% excise duty was initially introduced under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari and applied to both voice and data services.
Source: Punch
