Ministry of Communications has ordered telecommunication companies in Ghana to cease the instant deduction of the Communications Service Tax also known as Talk Tax.

The directive was captured in a letter the Ministry wrote to the National Communications Authority (NCA).

“To minimize the negative impact of the current mode of deduction of the CST, the Ministry of Communications hereby directs the immediate implementation of the following measure: CST should be treated the same way VAT, NHIL, GETFUND levy and all other taxes and levies imposed on entities doing business in Ghana are treated. This extraordinary upfront deductions of CST and notification of same to the subscribers must stop with immediate effect,” the Ministry of Communications directed.
The Ministry also directed that “all unused data and voice bundles purchased by subscribers do not expire and must be rolled over with the next recharge. MNOs will be subjected to strict compliance with exiting Quality of Service (QoS) standard to ensure value for the subscribers’ money in accordance with their licence obligations.”

Many have complained about the immediate tax deduction after consumers recharge, followed by a text message.

For instance, a recharge of GHc 10 worth of talk time gives consumers GHc9.2 as a result of the tax.

Ghanaians begun paying more for communication services following the implementation of the 9% Communication Services Tax on October 1, 2019.

The tax, which was hitherto pegged at 6% was increased to 9% when the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, announced the decision in Parliament in July 2019 during the presentation of the 2019 mid-year budget review.

According to the government, the increase in the tax was to help develop the foundation for a viable technology ecosystem in the county.