Again, House of Reps Summon DSTV Over Tariff Increase

The House of Representatives on Wednesday summoned the management of DSTV, owned by Multichoice, over the increment of the cable television’s subscription tariffs on June 1.

Naija News reports that the House Ad Hoc Committee Investigating the Non-Implementation of ‘Pay As You Go’ Tariff by Satellite Broadcast Service Providers asked DSTV to appear before it next Tuesday.

Recall that the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) had been directed by the House of Reps to ask DSTV to reverse its subscription rates introduced on June 1, 2020.

DSTV  is being probed for allegedly cheating its Nigerian subscribers by restricting them to prepaid plans.

At its investigative hearing on Tuesday, the committee gave StarTimes two weeks to review its subscription fees to reflect the current new 7.5 per cent Value Added Tax.

StarTimes, which is domiciled with the Federal Government-owned Nigerian Television Authority, had increased its subscription rates by 30 per cent, claiming VAT increment and increase in the number of channels provided.

Chairman of the committee, Mr Uyime Idem, however, said the directive was to allow Startimes to have a tariff that reflects the current economic realities, including the VAT and exchange rate.