NITDA bill: Multiple regulations, taxation fears grip telcos
Bill, which they claimed would impose multiple regulations and levies on them. BLESSING AFOLABI examines the issues surrounding the proposed NITDA Bill and how it may impact the telecom sector
However, this projected growth may be hindered by multiple regulations contained in the proposed National Information Technology Development Agency Bill, which has been before the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on ICT and Cyber Security. Telecom companies have been expressing concerns about the numerous and repetitive regulations imposed on the industry, claiming that they have been hindering both domestic and foreign investments in this sector.
The primary objective of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 is to create and provide a regulatory framework for the Nigerian communications industry and all matters related thereto. The agency is also tasked with coordinating and supervising the activities of any entity incorporated, owned, or partly owned by the government to provide information technology infrastructure and digital services as well as the development of regulations, guidelines, and directives on the use of information technology and digital services in every sector of the economy to attain the purpose of the agency.
Some of the discrepancies in the bill are that it failed to expressly define some important terms, which could lead to misinterpretation and the board controlling the regulations excludes private sector involvement, among others.The NITDA bill lacks additional information and explanation about the meaning, scope, or criteria for obtaining the different categories of licences.
“The tax burden of a typical telecommunications service provider includes not just the general taxes and levies imposed on all companies in the country, but also a myriad of sector-specific and other “bespoke” taxes and levies that further reduce their profitability. The concerns are not just on sector-specific taxes and levies but the imposition of duplicated taxes by different tiers of government,” it noted.
The National President of ATCN, Tony Emoekpere, told The PUNCH that the NITDA Bill replicates several aspects of what the Nigeria Communication Act, handled by the NCC regulates.
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