The Federal Government has scrapped the five per cent excise duty previously imposed on telecommunications services, including voice calls and data usage. The move is aimed at easing cost pressures on millions of Nigerians.
The National Orientation Agency announced the decision on Thursday via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle. According to the post, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, disclosed that President Bola Tinubu ordered the removal of the tax during deliberations on the recently enacted Finance Act.
Maida explained that the president’s directive was designed to cushion the financial strain on citizens while encouraging growth in the 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 excise duty, first introduced in 2022 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, applied to both voice calls and data subscriptions. It was met with strong criticism from telecom operators and consumer rights groups, who argued that it placed additional burdens on Nigerians already grappling with rising living costs.
The policy reversal is expected to not only reduce expenses for telecom subscribers but also support wider access to affordable digital services across the country.
