News

JUST IN: FG Slams New Tax On Telephone Calls

Published

2 years ago

May 22, 2022

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.

PUNCH.

News

VIDEO: Villagers Give Nigerian Soldiers Heroic Welcome After Successful Operation

Published

2 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Editor

A heartwarming video of some villagers giving a heroic welcome to soldiers returning from a successful operation in the North East has been shared online.

The Nigerian Army shared the video online as the soldiers returning from their military operation were met with cheers and celebrations from local residents recently.

The Army wrote: “Heartwarming welcome accorded to Nigerian Army heroic troops in the Northeast region after a successful operation in Sambisa and Timbuktu Triangle during Operation Desert Sanity III. This video clip captures the genuine and heartfelt welcome extended by the local communities to the valiant troops in appreciation of their successful operation.”

Watch the video below…

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A post shared by Lindaikejiblog (@lindaikejiblogofficial)

News

JUST IN: Court Clears Ex-AGF Adoke Of Money Laundering Charges

Published

4 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Editor

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday discharged and acquitted former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN) of the money laundering charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The presiding judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, while delivering a ruling on a no-case submission filed by the former AGF, held that the EFCC failed to establish a prima facie (sufficient evidence) case against him.

“I find that there is no evidence to prove the alleged offences against the first defendant (Adoke),” the judge said.

However, Justice Ekwo ruled that Aliyu Abubakar, the second defendant, has to open his defence because he has a case to answer.

EFCC had preferred a 14 counts charge against Adoke and an oil mogul, Aliyu Abubakar.

In the charge, the anti-graft agency alleged that Adoke sometime in August 2013 in Abuja accepted a cash payment of the dollar equivalent of N300 million from Abubakar and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 16(2)(b) of the money laundering Prohibition Act 2011 as amended.

Details later…

News

Police Seal Off Benue APC Factional Secretariat

Published

4 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Editor

Armed policemen have sealed off the secretariat of the All Progressive Congress,APC, in Makurdi, the capital city of Benue State.

The party secretariat belongs to the Austin Agada-led APC Working Committee located along JS Tarka Way opposite the Railway Market in Makurdi.

There are two party secretariats in the capital city.

The other one belongs to Benjamin Omakolo’s team which is located along Kashim Ibrahim Way.

The Publicity Secretary of the Agada faction, Daniel Ihomun, said that the sealing off of their secretariat may not be unconnected with the inauguration of members of the zoning committee for the forthcoming local government election.

“We are to inaugurate members of the zoning committee for the coming local government election today at our secretariat only for the government to send policemen and their thugs to seal off the secretariat,” Ihomun said.

It was learnt that policemen and Armour Personnel Vehicle were deployed to the Agada-led office as early as 6am on Friday.

Efforts to get the reaction of the state Police Public Relations Officer, Catherine Anene, to ascertain the reason for the sealing off of the party secretariat were not successful as her phone rang out at the time of filing this report.

The Agada-led faction had constituted a 21-men zoning committee drawn from the three senatorial districts of the state and was expected to be inaugurated on Friday.

But in a swift response, the Omakolo-led team had in a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Terseer Agber, called on all party members and the general public to disregard the zoning committee constituted by the Agada-led committee.