President Bola Tinubu has approved the scrapping of the controversial 5% excise duty, which applied to mobile voice and data services in the nation’s telecommunications services.
This development was disclosed by the Executive Vice-Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Aminu Maida, during a media briefing in Abuja on Tuesday.
He confirmed that the excise levy, which was initially suspended in 2023, has now been officially removed under revised national tax laws.
President Tinubu first suspended the tax in July 2023 as part of a broader fiscal policy overhaul aimed at mitigating the impact of multiple tax burdens on businesses and households. The suspension came through a series of executive orders signed shortly after he assumed office.
However, the issue resurfaced in October 2024, when the National Assembly proposed reinstating the tax as part of broader revenue-generating measures, which also included levies on gaming, betting, and lottery services.