The Federal Government has vowed to go ahead with the planned implementation of a five per cent hike in call and data tariff.

A statement from the Federal Ministry of Finance Budget and National Planning said the tariff hike will go on in spite of resistance from the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Prof. Ali Pantami.

The government said it will begin “the implementation of five per cent excise duty tax on all voice calls, SMS and data services, in addition to the existing 7.5 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) paid for goods and services across all sectors of the economy.”

Minister of Finance Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, made the disclosure at a stakeholders’ meeting organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms industry regulator.

Reacting to Pantami’s resolve to resist the tariff hike, she said “the five per cent excise duty has been in the Finance Act 2020 but has never been implemented.” Mrs Ahmed added  that “a circular stating the planned hike was addressed to the Communications and Digital Economy Minister and other relevant ministries and agencies of government.