Thank God for WhatsApp that has given us a better alternative if eventually the government implement the 3 minutes after Calls tax. At least all you need to make a good WhatsApp call is a good network, 2G/EDGE, 3G, if you are now on a 4G network, then you are covered.
Rather, we still don’t know what data rate and price will look like until December 1.
But The Association of Telecommunication Companies have kicked against the proposed tax bill by the CBN Governor, saying it is technically and economically wrong. In the words of their spoke man, Teniola, Contrary to the CBN governor’s believe, "it is the poor people who make more calls than the rich."
“So, the proposal is not targeted at the middle or higher class."
“I have not seen any industry where you don’t want people to use your products or services more."
“We want people to be speaking longer,’’ he said.
“It does not make sense, not only technically but economically, to apply that kind of thinking as a tool or solution out of the present economic recession, it is not going to work,’’
“I think we can consider introducing a negligible telecom surcharge to be entirely borne by the initiator of a call in order to protect the poor and vulnerable amongst us."
“ We could structure it to only take effect after the third minute of talk.
“Some analyses have indicated that the government could earn about N100 billion per annum from this alone."
With the way this guys are emphasizing this issue of 3min after call tax, we pray they don't pass it into the bill.