The Federal Government has abolished the 5 per cent excise duty tax earlier imposed on telecommunications services, including voice calls and data usage.
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) announced the development in a post on its official X (formerly Twitter) page on Thursday.
According to the post, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida, confirmed that President Tinubu ordered the removal of the tax during discussions on the recently signed Finance Act.
Dr Maida explained that the President’s directive was aimed at easing the financial burden on millions of mobile users while strengthening Nigeria’s digital economy.
“The development is expected to bring relief to over 171 million active telecom users across the country, many of whom have faced a 50 per cent tariff increase implemented earlier this year,” he said.
The tax, which covered both voice and data services, was first introduced in 2022 under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari as part of revenue generation measures. However, the policy faced widespread criticism from telecom operators and consumer rights groups, who warned that it would worsen the cost of living crisis.
Telecom operators under the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) had also described the levy as counterproductive, stressing that Nigeria already had one of the highest taxation rates in the sector across sub-Saharan Africa.
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