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Minority kick against tax on mobile
phone usage
Accra, Nov. 26, Ghanadot/GNA - The Minority in Parliament on
Monday described government's proposed tax regime on mobile
phone users as a limitation on freedom of speech.
Mr. Alban Bagbin, coining the new tax as "talk tax" said:
"When you talk they tax you....it is limiting our freedom of
speech.”
The Minority Leader, who was on a point of order, was
speaking in support of his colleague, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, NDC
-Tamale South during his contributions to the debate on the
2008 budget, which began on the floor of the House.
Mr Moses Asaga, NDC-Nabdam, who also stood on a point of
order supported the minority position and said the student
population should be considered because some were living in
the rural areas with no access to fixed telephone and it was
therefore improper to impose such a tax regime on them.
Finance Minister, Mr. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, on November 15,
presented the 2008 budget statement of the government to
Parliament with a proposal to derive maximum revenue from on
mobile phone imports.
"Mr Speaker, considering the situation, government has
decided to abolish import duty and import VAT on all mobile
phones imported into the country and introduce a more
effective means of taxing mobile phone usage."
"Consequently, government proposes to impose a specific
excise duty per minute of airtime use," the Finance Minister
said in his presentation.
The Minority however, declared their intention to oppose the
proposal when the debate began on Monday.
Mr Iddrisu said government should not pass on its
inefficiency in tax collection on mobile phones imported
into the country by devising a means to collect multiple
taxes through taxing mobile service providers and users.
Describing the inability to tax all imported mobile phone as
fiscal irresponsibility, Mr Iddrisu said public debate and
discourse was going to be affected if a charge was placed on
airtime because the public may not be able to phone in into
programmes on radio.
He said this was going to curtail freedom of speech and
expression because Ghanaians loved to contribute to public
debate.
Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, deputy Majority Leader, however
said it was a simplistic way of viewing things.
GNA
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