Licensed telecoms operators in Nigeria has, under the tutelage of Association of licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), revealed its displeasure with the tax regimes and harsh operating environments in several states across the country.
Speaking at an event in Ilorin, Kwara state capital in Nigeria, the chairman of the association, Gbenga Adebayo noted with dismay how hostile some states have become saying members of the association are set to take decisive actions to address the anomaly.
One of the decisions that members have resolved, he said, is to introduce discriminatory tariffs.
According to him, under the new tariff plan, subscribers in the hostile states will be made to pay more than what subscribers in friendly states are paying.
He described as “unfortunate” the antics of some states in Nigeria that had instituted tough tax requirements for telecoms companies.
He said, some of these hostile states go as far as carrying out indiscriminate closure of telecoms base stations, other infrastructures and installations without presenting a court order.
“What we are going to do is to adjust the meter so that people making calls from such states pay more than what others are paying. We are not going to beg them; we are not going to negotiate with them if they decide to close down a site because the operators refuse to pay them. We will not to reopen any site closed down by state governments without a court order,” he added.
The states are disregarding the laws that are guiding the operations of the industry especially those that guide the closure of sites, he said, adding that: “Before a site could be closed by a government, there must be a court order to that effect and a notification to the subscribers that such a disruption of service would happen.”
