Why not data tax?

THE current leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari is gradually establishing a pattern in the implementation of its controversial policies, particularly those leaving more holes in the pocket of Nigerians. If the recent precedents are taken as a reliable measure, it is certain that Nigerians will still end up paying more for data usage, despite what seems like a zero-hour change of heart. With the pattern established in hiking fuel pump prize, electricity tariffs, forex, postal services, bank charges, import duties, personal and income taxes and all warts, it would be foolhardy for anyone to take comfort in the Senate’s seeming effective barking, NCC’s seeming cowering, Telecommunications Minister Adebayo Shittu’s seeming sweating and telecoms’ firms’ seeming siding with the people. The administration has established a pattern of flying the kite to get the citizenry’s reaction, simmer a while, claim to be consulting with stakeholders, then come with a bang. So far, the administration has succeeded.

Let no one be in doubt that government won’t succeed with taking more from already-squeezed Nigerians on data usage. Beyond the dogo turenchi of NCC seeking to assist minor players in the telecoms industry to survive thereby ensuring that there isn’t job losses, it appears more like the administration working on a luxury items’ list from which it wants to make up for the revenue shortfall from oil and gas.

Gradually, Buhari’s administration is establishing itself as a tax regime and some Nigerians are already shaping up to live with the reality, especially those who believe the accruals would be judiciously managed. Despite the hardship, a section of the public still retains accountability trust in the administration. The suspension of the hike has not stopped Nigerians on social media saying to those they disagree with, that the coming hike would soon force them away from different platforms where they comment daily on national issues. What they are saying is: we know Buhari’s government. It simply postponed the “evil” day.

The hike may even come faster than the previous ones. The usual style of deliberately making the affected services unavailable, ineffectual or unattractive at the existing pricing, which is always the immediate implication of public protestation against planned spike, is about manifesting earlier than the usual wait. Telecoms operators, on Friday, told Nigerians to expect poor services henceforth. If already poor services are going to be poorer, would Nigerians have a choice any longer than to succumb? When petrol became masquerade shit which is hardly gotten anywhere, early in the year when Labour Unions initially resisted price hike, did we not succumb to Buhari’s hike? Did NCC’s rationale for beating a supposed retreat not fall in the usual pattern of “we are respecting negative public opinion”? Did such opinions eventually count in the final analysis regarding past increments?

It seems the public will never win any policy contestation with Buhari’s administration, no matter how anti-people it is perceived. But government’s successive successes in this regard may soon become pyrrhic if the underlining motive all the time is revenue drive. You become sadistic to the people you claim to be helping if you will have to add to their sorrow to take away their pains. The claims of mindless looting, executive brigandage and empty treasury by Buhari at the inception of his administration, coupled with the initial massive goodwill, have helped the administration to get away with many perceived cost-implicative policies, meant to buffer the depleting oil revenue. But oil prices are rising now and too many intangibles and invisibles have characterised the achievements of the administration in almost two years.

That may account for government not scoring it too cheaply this time around. I’m for national rebirth. I’m for attitudinal changes. Are Nigerians wasteful? Even in imminent economic depression, yes. Do we need new attitude to spending? Yes, and it is for both the poor and the rich. The most expensive items, particularly, those high on luxury list, are now commonest among the dependent demography. Eccentric spending is like our national DNA. A full housewife with full wardrobe of aso ebi, collected on credit. A private security fellow with a browser phone which cost three times his irregular salary, resorting to financial help to meet family obligations. Everywhere in the world, there is a price for luxury. But communication isn’t luxury, even in the Second Republic when a nuisance-in-power tried to regulate national psyche to accept it as one. But indulgence is luxury. Without verbalising it like the nuisance-minister, this administration through its various communications’ policies, seems to agree with the second republic verbal diarrhea, but with different motive. Let’s even agree with an unconvincing argument that this administration isn’t about grabbing all our doughs, but out to “change” our profligate ways. Fine. Let’s also accept communication on the luxury list for objectivity sake, since it is conceded that we love to be loud even when a disappearing act is desirable.

The principle of non-absoluta will still convict Buhari’s administration. Nothing is absolute. Nigerians aren’t hopelessly extravagant and not encouragingly moderate. So, instead of throwing everyone into panic mode with policies that should never be all-encompassing like the three-minute no-brainer call tax suggested by the CBN governor Godwin Emefiele in a system with high drop calls, an indulgence index should be reasonably measured out even for all items on government’s poorly-disguised luxury items’ list. Business calls can last hours and since it is about making money, you can tax such long period calls, maybe reasonably from 10 minutes upward. Social calls that drag into the tax-line, should be considered an indulgence which is always with a cost. At least I know of London. You come to spend money, you get tax refund at the airport as an exiting shopper. You work there to make money, you comply with their heavy taxing.