Friday, March 29, 2024
More

    Latest Posts

    DHQ declares eight wanted for killing soldiers in Delta

    The Defence Headquarters has declared eight persons wanted over their roles in the recent killing of 17 military personnel in Delta State. The military released...

    Military yields to pressure, frees abducted Lagos editor

    Military authorities, on Thursday, yielded to pressure and released the Editor of FirstNews, Segun Olatunji, who was abducted from his home in Lagos State...

    Adesua Etomi pens heartwarming note to hubby Banky W on his birthday

    Nollywood actress Adesua Etomi has taken to Instagram to pen a detailed and heartwarming note to her husband Banky W on his birthday. On March...

    NSCDC deploys 35,000 personnel for Easter

    The Commandant General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ahmed Audi, has deployed 35,000 personnel across the county to ensure a hitch-free Easter celebration. According...

    FG slams new tax on telephone calls

    The Federal Government has slammed a new tax on phone calls in the nation to fund free healthcare for the Vulnerable Group in Nigeria.

    This is despite recent moves by telecommunication companies to increase the price of their services as a result of an unfavourable operating climate.

    The telecom tax in the equivalent of a minimum of one kobo per second for phone calls is a part of the sources of funds required to finance free healthcare for the Vulnerable Group in Nigeria.

    This is contained in the National Health Insurance Authority Bill 2021 signed by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), last week.

     

    The act includes a provision under Section 26 subsection 1c which states that the source of money for the Vulnerable Group Fund includes telecommunications tax, not less than one kobo per second of GSM calls.

    The Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Taiwo Oyedele, said, “S.26 of this new law imposes a telecommunications tax of not less than 1kobo per second on GSM calls. With call rates at about 11kobo per second, this translates to a 9 per cent tax on GSM calls.

    “The tax is one of the sources of money to the Vulnerable Group Fund to subsidise the provision of healthcare to the group defined to include children under five, pregnant women, the aged, physically and mentally challenged, and the indigent as may be defined from time to time.”

    According to the act, the Vulnerable Group Fund is money budgeted to pay for healthcare services for vulnerable Nigerians who cannot pay for health insurance in a bid to subsidise the cost of provision of health care services to vulnerable people in the country.

    For funding, the act provides several options such as basic health care provision fund to the authority; health insurance levy; telecommunications tax, not less than one kobo per second of GSM calls; money that may be allocated to the Vulnerable Group Fund by the Government; motley that accrues to the Vulnerable Group Fund from investments made by the Council: and grants, donations, gifts, and any other voluntary contributions made to the Vulnerable Group Fund.

    According to the new act, every resident in Nigeria is expected to obtain health insurance.

    Recently, telecom companies wrote to the Federal Government, through the Nigerian Communications Commission, on the conditions of the industry.

    The operator under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria proposed a 40 per cent increase in the cost of calls, SMS, and data as a result of the rising cost of operating in the nation.

    Recently, ALTON disclosed that the telecom industry is saddled with about 36 ta

    Copyright PUNCH.

    Latest Posts

    DHQ declares eight wanted for killing soldiers in Delta

    The Defence Headquarters has declared eight persons wanted over their roles in the recent killing of 17 military personnel in Delta State. The military released...

    Military yields to pressure, frees abducted Lagos editor

    Military authorities, on Thursday, yielded to pressure and released the Editor of FirstNews, Segun Olatunji, who was abducted from his home in Lagos State...

    Adesua Etomi pens heartwarming note to hubby Banky W on his birthday

    Nollywood actress Adesua Etomi has taken to Instagram to pen a detailed and heartwarming note to her husband Banky W on his birthday. On March...

    NSCDC deploys 35,000 personnel for Easter

    The Commandant General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ahmed Audi, has deployed 35,000 personnel across the county to ensure a hitch-free Easter celebration. According...

    Don't Miss

    Electricity subsidy removal calls intensify amid rising industry debts

    As it happened with fuel subsidy, the government and major players in the power sector have all agreed on the need to allow customers...

    Tinubu places three-month ban on foreign trips for ministers, others

    President Bola Tinubu has banned ministers, heads of agencies, and other government officials from embarking on public funded foreign trips. The ban will last for...

    Naira rebounds to N1,400/$ as speculators offload forex

    The naira rebounded against the United States dollar on Wednesday at the official and parallel markets, with the local currency recording a significant gain...

    Omah Lay refuses to pick a girl at his concert, says he wants no trouble

    Omah Lay wants no trouble. While performing recently in Berlin, the singer refused to bring a lady from the crowd to join him on...

    National Assembly passes student loan bill

    The National Assembly, comprising the Senate and the House of Representatives, has passed the prolonged student loan bill. The bill, which scaled first, second, and...

    Stay in touch

    To be updated with all the latest news, offers and special announcements.