Monrovia – In the wake of proposal made by the Government of Liberia to increase tariff on telecommunications which could impact the three days calls package offered by GSM service providers in the country, a group under the banner “Association of Telecom Consumers” has petitioned the Legislature, requesting the body to reject the proposal.
Report by Henry Karmo – [email protected]
In their petition, the group stressed that taxation on calls per minute would directly affect low income earners who are already struggling to cope with prevailing economic situation.
They claimed that such decision would make access to information and communication technology very expensive for low income earners.
The petitioners stated: “This will result in a double taxation for consumers who are already paying 15% GST on the sale cost of scratch cards.”
The group claimed to be representing citizens from the 15 political subdivision of Liberia which includes marketers, telecom consumers, low income earners, doctors, and students.
Natelco requested the legislature to see reasons and declare the proposal counterproductive, because its adoption would affect the long term national digital strategy objectives set by the government of Liberia.
“Natelco is therefore requesting that you invite all service providers, the LTA, Ministry of Post and Telecommunication, cable consortium of Liberia and all other providing voice calls, data or other ICT related services to quickly address issues of internet connectivity, fiber optic cable and the high cost of interconnectivity,” said the petitioners in a statement.
The National Association of Telecom Consumers is a Civil Society Organization serving as a watch-dog institution for consumers interest with the objective of seeking redress for consumers’ complaints, promote responsible and sustainable consumption among telecom-consumers, educate consumers on their rights and responsibilities, provide a channel for consumers’ opinion and representation and foster understanding among consumers.
The Act to amend the investment code of 2010 adding thereto terminologies to section 2 and the Liberia Tax Amendments Act of 2016, amending the Liberia revenue code amongst others is among more than 20 bills submitted to the Legislature for action this week.
The sudden recall of lawmakers back to Capitol Hill might be in the good interest of the government but certainly at the detriment of the citizens.
Some lawmakers support the views of the petitioners including a Lofa County Lawmaker.
“I have always said it will bring hardship on the ordinary Liberian. It is good to generate revenue, but there are other ways, and areas we could use to generate revenue.
On the overall I am not in favor of it,” said Rep. Mariam Fofana of Lofa County.
FrontPageAfrica reported last month that the recall surfaced after the President convinced some members of the House to speedily reconsider the amendment of the Revenue Code.
Accordingly, upon reconvening session, some lawmakers considered instilling 10% of the taxable amount on alcoholic products and additional 5% surtax to telecommunications services.
This means, GSM companies and cell phone users would be taxed one cent per minute. Lawmakers would also be taking into consideration the reduction of salaries of civil servants.
Our source, which is in the inner circles of government, hinted that the government would not be able to function properly with the current state of the economy.
The President has been concerned about the US$46 million increment made in the 2016/2017 fiscal budget and the executive’s current incapacity as well as the imminent drastic budget shortfall
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