
‘Tax Cut, Not Tariff Hike’: Nigeria’s Telecom Industry in Dire Need
…the telecom industry is always under pressure, not because consumers pay less but because the government taxes more.
…the telecom industry is always under pressure, not because consumers pay less but because the government taxes more.
The court’s decision invalidating the imposition of a “sugar tax” is expected to alleviate the burden the new tax is meant to create.
In this report, MANASSEH MBACHII, a fellow of the Liberalist Centre’s Journalism for Liberty Fellowship uncovers how traders in Benue State, Middle-Belt Nigeria are forced to pay taxes and levies yet they get no benefits from the government, as they still pay more to provide the same amenities for themselves.
Apart from the fact that for the past decade, multinational firms have either exited or signaled their intention to leave the country, Nobel Prize-winning economist Angus Deaton warns that such taxes often backfire, prompting the wealthy to hoard assets, evade taxes, or relocate to friendlier jurisdictions.
Nigeria’s tax reform could ease living costs, but a looming tax hike on non-essentials would sting consumers.
“It’s an indirect tax on the masses. The service providers will not feel it that much. They will accommodate it and add it to their cost of services, and the masses will keep suffering.”
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Get new insights on pro-freedom issues and current events. Subscribe to ‘Letters of Reasoning’ for weekly expert commentary and fresh perspectives.