Niger’s government will abolish the tax on incoming international traffic (Taxe sur la Terminaison du Trafic International Entrant, TATTIE), according to reports in Agence Nigerienne de Presse.
The tax has been scrapped and reintroduced over the past few years. TeleGeography reports that TATTIE was first imposed on 1st July 2016 with the Supplementary Budget Act, which increased the tax on international traffic from XOF67.5 (USD0.11) to XOF88 per minute.
In November 2017, the government voted to abolish the tax and this came into effect on 1st January 2018. In exchange for the removal of TATTIE, operators pledged to invest in boosting their coverage and service quality – but one year on, the government deemed them to have fallen short of these commitments and reintroduced the tax on 1st January 2019.
The government stated that its decision to abolish the TATTIE now is aimed at “reviving the telecommunications sector and promoting digital development in Niger through a resumption of investments, particularly in the field of infrastructure.” In place of the tax, Niger plans to introduce new minimum rates for international call termination.
