Google, Meta, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, Microsoft and social media platforms operating in Nigeria, have paid ?2.55trillion ($1.5billion) in taxes to Federal Government in the first six month (H1) of 2024, the National Information Technology Development Agency, (NITDA), has said.
NITDA, in an issued statement yesterday said data from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed that foreign digital companies, including interactive computer service platforms and Internet intermediaries operating in Nigeria, were now paying their taxes., saying this had led to significant increase in revenue for the Government.
This was further corroborated by the data from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
NITDA, in an issued statement signed by its Head of Public Affairs, Hadiza Umar, said: “This significant increase in revenue underscores the role of robust regulatory frameworks in shaping compliance and driving revenue growth in the digital economy”.
The IT regulatory agency also revealed that the social media platforms deactivated about 12.1 million accounts of Nigerian contents last year for various unarmed offences, while 65.8m Nigerian contents were taken down, for contravening the policies of the social media platforms.
Also, 4.126m registered complaints from Nigerians were received by the social media platforms, while 379,433 Nigerian contents were removed and later re-uploaded, following an appeal by the Nigerian owners.
NITDA “commended Google, X, Microsoft, and TikTok for their compliance with the ‘Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms/Internet Intermediaries’. The Code, which was issued jointly by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), and NITDA outlines clear guidelines for promoting online safety and managing harmful content”.
While commending the progress made, NITDA emphasised the need for continued collaboration and innovation by the social media platforms to address emerging challenges and ensure a safer and more responsible digital space.
The agency said it remained committed to working with stakeholders to strengthen and enhance user-safety measures, digital literacy, trust and transparency.
