Foreign digital companies operating in Nigeria have paid N1.3 trillion (nearly 1.3 billion dollars) in taxes to the government in just over a year, the country's authorities say.
The figures by the Federal Inland Revenue Service were published on the website of the country's National Bureau of Statistics on Thursday.
The revenues were generated from several companies including Google, Netflix, X, formerly caled Twitter, Meta from January 2022 to March 2023. They include Value Added Tax as well as company and income taxes.
In June 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, which is now known as X, after it deleted a post by the then President Muhammadu Buhari.
The ban was lifted after seven months following a deal between the social media company and the Nigerian government with the company agreeing to better manage social media content, register its operations in Nigeria, and settle a new tax arrangement.
A deal
The Federal Government at the time also announced it planned to tax foreign digital companies operating in Nigeria.
These service providers, which include video streaming sites, social media platforms, and companies that offer downloads of digital content, are required to pay digital tax to the Federal Inland Revenue Service.
Nigeria is Africa's largest economy and most populous country with rapidly growing digital market.
Facilitated by the internet, startups in the country and across the continent help to create jobs, boost government revenues, and foreign investments.
