by Jerome Kuseh
The government of Ghana has lifted import duties of smartphones in a bid to reduce the digital divide in the country and increase data consumption.
The announcement was made yesterday by the Minister of Finance, Mr Seth Terkper, in his presentation of the 2015 budget statement to parliament.
The minister said that while mobile phone penetration in the country was high, smartphones accounted for only 15% of the penetration. Projections for data usage indicate that it will grow 6.3 times between 2013 and 2018.
The move is also expected to raise revenue through VAT and corporate tax through increased trading and also through the Communication Service Tax.
It is an appreciative step by Ghana government as it will not beneficial only for the short term but it will also impact the future growth in Ghana. Smartphones are now an integral part of humans’ lives, every business depends upon it to the extent that no one can perform an efficient task without it even for a single day. That’s a great decision which will help in country’s growth immensely.
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