Telecom
Furore as Telcos Hike Communications Service Tax to 9%
Mobile phone users in Ghana yesterday (October 1, 2019) started paying 3% more on Communication Service Tax, according to Pulse.
Nigerians are fighting against the same Bill seeking to impose and collect communication services tax (CST or levy) on charges payable by consumers of electronic communication services in Nigeria (excluding private electronic communication services) at the rate of 9%.
But in Ghane, the tax which was hitherto pegged at 6%, was increased to 9% after, Ken Ofori-Atta, finance minister announced that the CST will be higher.
He announced this decision in Parliament in July during the presentation of the 2019 mid-year budget review.
Mobile users have received text messages from their service providers about the increase. The telcos in their messages said the increase will be “applied to every recharge.”
“Dear customer, with the increase in Communications Service Tax – CST to 9%, effective 1st October 2019, CST of 9% will be applied to every recharge. Thank you,” a text to a Vodafone Ghana user read.
A statement issued by the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications said that the increase means that “for every GH¢1 of recharge purchased, a 9% CST fee will be charged leaving GhS0.91 for purchase of products and services”.
If you purchase GHC2 airtime you will have GHC1.82
Airtime of GHC5 will leave the customer with GHC4.55
When a client buys GHC10 the customer will have GHC9.1 for purchase of products and services.
GHC20 airtime will leave you with GHC18.2 worth of airtime
When you buy a GHC50 worth of airtime you will get GHC45.5 for products and services.
In Nigeria, the federal government has mulled Communication Services Tax Bill (the Bill).
Key highlights of the Bill are as follows:
Electronic communication services subject to the levy include: voice calls, SMS, MMS, data usage (both from Telecommunication Services Providers and Internet Service Providers), Pay per View TV Stations etc.
The tax is to be paid together with the electronic communication service charge payable to the service provider by the user of the service.
The tax is payable whether or not the person making the supply is permitted or authorized to provide electronic communications services.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) is responsible for collecting the tax from service providers and remitting it into the Federation Account.
All service providers are expected to file monthly returns not later than the last working day of the month immediately after the month to which the tax returns and payment relate.
Penalty for failure to file returns on or before the due date is N50,000 and an additional N10,000 for each day the returns are not submitted.
Failure to pay the tax by the due date attracts monthly interest on the tax due at a rate of 150% of the average of prevailing commercial banks’ lending rates as published by the Central Bank of Nigeria and for this purpose, part of one month shall be deemed to be one month. Where interest payable is not paid within one month after the due date, interest shall be paid on the unpaid interest at the same rate and manner on the unpaid tax.Where tax, penalty and/ or interest is due, FIRS may apply to the Court for an order that compels an individual or business who holds money for or on account of the service provider to pay to the FIRS that money or so much of it as is sufficient to discharge amount due. Where this situation continues, FIRS may apply to the Court for an order to distrain the assets, goods, etc. of the service provider.
In the case of liquidation or bankruptcy, the tax, due shall take precedence over other obligations.
For the purpose of verification of taxes due to government, an agent would be appointed to establish both electronic and physical monitoring mechanisms to monitor, analyse, verify and save all necessary data and information.
A service provider who refuses to provide access to its relevant network for government or its appointed agent commits an offence and is liable to a penalty of 5% of annual gross revenue of the last audited financial statements and if situation persists after 90 days, National Communications Commission (NCC) may revoke the operating license of that service provider.
MTN Uganda is seeking input from stakeholders on a plan to structurally separate its mobile money service, MoMo, from its core telecoms business.
According to the company, the proposed change will be discussed at the upcoming extraordinary general meeting on July 2.
If approved, the telco’s fintech business will be run by a new company controlled by MTN Group Fintech Holdings B.V. and a trust benefiting minority shareholders following a merger.
Additionally, the restructuring also aligns with MTN Group’s ambition 2025 strategy which aims to unlock value, attract new investors, and strengthen regulatory compliance by creating standalone fintech entities in Uganda, Ghana, and Nigeria.
The company’s fintech division has over 13 million customers, with an 18.4% revenue increase in the first quarter of 2025, driven by 19.0% growth in mobile money services, 19.8% growth in transaction volumes, and a 31.4% increase in transaction value.
Reports say the decision is part of the telco’s compliance with the National Payment Systems Act 2020, which mandates mobile money businesses to operate as standalone entities, and to align with MTN Group’s regional fintech strategy.
MTN Uganda, which is led by CEO Sylvia Mulinge, highlighted that the implementation of the proposed transaction will be subjected to a number of conditions and regulatory procedures.
“The implementation of the proposed transaction shall be subject to a number of conditions, including the company and MTN MoMo receiving all required regulatory approvals and no-objections and complying with any regulatory conditions,” said MTN Uganda in notice.
Netflix has announced plans to invest more than €1 billion in Spanish film and television productions over the next four years, reinforcing its commitment to Spain as a key creative hub in Europe.
The announcement was made by co-chief executive Ted Sarandos at an event held at Netflix’s production studios near Madrid, celebrating the company’s 10-year presence in the country.
Sarandos emphasized that the investment would contribute significantly to Spain’s economy, create jobs, and enable the streaming platform to produce more local content. He was joined by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in unveiling the initiative.
Netflix first established its international production studios in Madrid in 2019, following the success of the Spanish-language hit series Money Heist.
Since then, its 22,000-square-meter facility has become one of Netflix’s major production centers within the European Union.
The company currently supports over 20,000 jobs in Spain, highlighting the nation’s growing influence in global entertainment.
The investment reflects Netflix’s ongoing strategy to expand its presence in European markets through original content and local talent.
Nigeria Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT) has raised alarms over a new wave of advanced cyberattacks targeting Android mobile phones through a malware campaign dubbed Tria Stealer.
The malicious software is designed to infiltrate Android devices, hijack messaging accounts, intercept One-Time Passwords (OTPs), to steal sensitive personal and financial data.
According to ngCERT, Tria Stealer spreads primarily through deceptive tactics, such as fake event invitations distributed via popular messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram.
Unsuspecting users are enticed to download an infected (APK) file, often disguised as a harmless system application, to evade detection.
Once installed, Tria Stealer requests extensive permissions, including access to SMS, call logs, and app notifications.
It immediately commences data harvesting activities, sending stolen information to a Command and Control (C2) server operated via Telegram bots.
This trojan spreads through fake links, usually disguised as wedding or event invites, and tricks users into downloading malicious APK files
“Account takeover of messaging platforms. Impersonation of victim for fraudulent money transfer requests. Compromise of banking and financial applications. Identity theft and credential harvesting.”
In plain terms, if your phone is compromised, the consequences could be catastrophic.
Your financial apps are vulnerable, your reputation could be ruined by impersonation and even simple personal messages could be twisted into tools for scams.
Here’s what users should be doing now:
Don’t download apps outside the official Play Store.
Be suspicious of random invites or links, even from people you know.
Turn on 2FA for everything—banking, emails, social platforms.
Get a reputable antivirus and keep it updated.
If you run an organisation, you should already be taking this seriously.
ngCERT’s guidance says you should raise awareness, monitor mobile devices, and not let your team click on unverified links.
“Deploy network monitoring for suspicious outbound connections to known C2 domains,” it said, meaning, keep an eye on every digital door in and out.
This isn’t one of those cases where you wait to see if it affects you. By the time you realise it, it may already be too late.
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