New ATCON President Vows To Tackle Multiple Taxation

After being elected the new president of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), the chief executive officer, Anchor Telecoms, Mr Tony Izuagbe Emoekpere vowed to tackle multiple taxation in the telecoms industry.

Emoekpere polled 39 votes to emerge president as against 23 votes by the managing director/CEO, Backbone Connectivity Nigeria Limited, Mr Ibrahim Dikko, who contested against him, at the telecoms trade group’s elections held Tuesday in Lagos.

Also, the CEO, Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), Mr. Muhammed Rudman, emerged 1st vice president of ATCON with 43 votes as against 21 votes by Coloplus Worldwide Services Limited CEO, Dr Myke Ofili.

The candidates for other ATCON positions who were elected unopposed include; National secretary, Mr. Olawale Owoeye, Cedarview Communications MD/CEO; coordinator, Consulting group, Mrs. Aderonke Adeyegbe, Comercio Limited CEO and coordinator, Internet Services Providers, Mr. Lekan Balogun, NetaccessSystems Limited MD/CEO and coordinator, Value Added Services Providers, Mr. Martins Shakarho, Interra Networks Limited general manager, Corporate.

Emoekpere, who succeeds Medallion Nigeria CEO, Engineer Iyke Nnamani,  had vowed to engage tiers of governments across Nigeria to address the incessant problems of multiple taxation facing the telecoms industry; prompting local content, among other programmes.

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According to the new president,  “the multiple taxation stems from the fact that the industry is taxed almost at every level, from the local Governments, to the state government, to the federal government, to agencies, to importation. While the telecoms industry recently recorded a win in the recent pronouncement from the Federal Government removing exemptions from some of the taxes, but more needs to be done.”

He explained that, apart from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms industry regulator and the federal government, ATCON on his watch, will engage more with the state governments as they are actually the second level of taxes, which most of the industry is really suffering from.