Ghana recently redirected its telcos to stop offering voice and data bundles rollover to its users. Ghanaians took to Twitter to vent out their frustrations over the high cost of the data packages using #SaveOurData.
In October, the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications introduced a 9% levy(Communication Service Tax – CST) that was to be charged on mobile phone users for communication services. It had been raised by 6% during the 2019 Mid-Year Budget Review by Ken Ofori-Atta, the country’s finance minister. A 9% CST fee was to be charged for every GH¢ of recharge purchased and the GH¢0.93 left for the purchase of products and services.
The 9% Communication Service Tax charged upfront was later revered in late November and the Telecommunications Chamber in Ghana ordered telecom operators to publish new costs of their respective tariffs. This was to stop the operators from giving their customers less airtime/data than they purchased.
The lash out by the Ghanaians attracted the attention of their parliament. Representatives from the telcos operating in Ghana are expected to meet the Parliament’s Communication Committee soon enough.
