Telecoms Chamber says reviewing amended ‘Talk Tax’

The Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications (GCT) said on Thursday it was reviewing the Communications Service Tax (CST) Amendment Bill passed by parliament on July 9.

A statement signed by Mr Kwaku Sakyi-Addo, GCT Chief Executive Officer to the Ghana News Agency in Accra said the chamber would conduct an assessment of the implications of the Act.

The statement said government would be duly informed about the outcome of the assessment and if possible, to inform further consultations before maturing into a law.

The Chamber is the industry group established by the mobile operators three years ago.

The statement noted that mobile network operators had invested nearly six billion dollars in the Ghanaian economy.

It said year-on-year inflation for communications was 0.4 per cent in 2012 compared to an overall average of 8.8 per cent.

The statement said Government captures approximately 37 per cent of operator revenues as taxes and over 1.6 million jobs have been created by the telecoms industry directly and indirectly.

According to GCT statement, studies indicate that 10 per cent mobile phone penetration triggers economic activity and leads to 1.3 per cent Gross Domestic Product growth.

Source: GNA