Monrovia – Quite interestingly, lawmakers after passing the U$0.1 tax per minute on voice calls by the Legislature, members of the lower House have voted to invite Board of LoneStarCell/MTN including Benoni Urey, the Liberia Telecommunication Authority, Ministry of Finance and Liberia Revenue Authority to provide clarity on the cessation of the three-day ‘free’ call promotion by the company.
Report by Henry Karmo – [email protected]
The deliberation on the cessation of the promo by the company was not an item of the House agenda for its Tuesday’s session but it was included based on a recommendation of Rep. Acarous Gray who stressed the need for the discussion of the matter.
After several hours of deliberation, the lawmakers voted to invite the Board of the Liberia Telecommunication Authority, LoneStarCell/MTN and its Board Chairman, Benoni Urey and the Liberia Revenue Authority to appear Thursday, January 17, 2017.
Representatives Gray, Bhofal Chambers, Bill Twehway, Moses Kollie and Munah Pelhm-Youngblood voted against additional taxes on domestic calls when it was being debated at the lower House.
On Sunday, January 15, 2017, a month after the lawmakers amended the tax code, the Company in a text message to its customers stated: “Dear Valued Subscriber, in line with the Government’s Excise tax on Domestic Voice call, effective 15 January, we have made adjustments to our promotional to our promotional packages”.
The GSM company’s announcement came after an LTA communication addressed to GSM companies operating in Liberia, informing them of the coming into effect Section 1165 of the Amended Revenue Code which was recently passed by an act of legislation, signed into law and subsequently printed into handbills.
A day after the announcement by LoneStarCell/MTN that it was readjusting its three days promotion, several subscribers gathered at the company’s sub office on Broad Street demanding that the continuation of the service.
Some angry subscribers demanded that their units that were taken by the GSM Company should be replaced.
The protesters, mainly males, were seen in a fierce and arrogant mood screaming:
“Don’t steal from us Lone-star, bring back our three day promotion; give back our money, you stole too long, give us our credits.”
In October 2016, when the two leading GSM operators in the country appeared before members of the joint legislative committee on ways, means and finance and judiciary, LoneStarCell/MTN assured the lawmakers that the decision to impose the tariff would not affect the three days calls promotion.
The committees, in their report, informed plenary that LoneStarCell/MTN had assured that the increment in tax would not affect the free calls promotion.
The assurance by the company was also heralded by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and the LRA.
In response to the lawmakers decision the Liberia Business Association (LIBA) condemned the Government of Liberia for levying new taxes on imported alcoholic beverages, other commodities and imposition of additional tariff on phone calls in the country.
LIBA is the umbrella organization responsible to advocate and seek the interest of Liberian owned businesses.
“We categorically condemn the Government for levying new taxes on goods and services,” LIBA President, D. Maxwell Saah Kemayah, said when he addressed a news conference in Monrovia.