justicejay:
The Nigeria Union of Postal and
Telecommunication Employees on Tuesday
faulted the Central Bank Governor, Mr. Godwin
Emefiele, for advising GSM service providers to
tax calls above three minutes.
NUPTE President, Sunday Alhansan, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja that the tax would worsen the economic problems being
experienced by Nigerians.
Emefiele had suggested that Federal Government
should impose taxes on phone conversations that
last more than three minutes, as a way of
generating revenues.
The CBN governor said that the tax would cushion
the effects of the economic recession and could
raise additional revenue for the country.
Alhassan said the suggestion is
“counterproductive.”
“The people you want to tax are also affected by
the recession; and if you say that they are to be
taxed, definitely you are asking people to stop
making calls.
“And when they stop making calls, the GSM
operators are going to be affected and once they
are affected, there will be drop of some of their
lines.
“What is going to happen is that they are going to
sack their workers.
“So, that is why such a suggestion should not be
brought up in the first place because it will cause
more harm than good to the people,’’ he said.
Alhassan called on the Federal Government not to
listen to any neo-liberal advice that would expose
Nigerians to further hardships.
He called on the government to fashion out
innovative ideas of creating sustainable
employment that would bring succor to the
people and not by taxing citizens the more.
“What we are telling the government is that it
should look for succor for the people, the
common man is not finding it funny.
“Our advice is to stop this idea of imposing tax on
calls above three minutes, as it is not going to do
anybody any good,” Alhassan said.
He advised government to look at ways of utilising
looted funds that was returned to its coffers for
economic development.