Ifer portable taboo, will operators overcome it? A report from the General Inspectorate of Finance can upset everything. Two methods have been proposed to simplify this tax.
As they invest in networks, operators hope to reduce the problematic tax they see, the mobile IFER. Discussions follow, but the flat corporate tax remains the same, much to the dismay of Orange, Free, SFR and Bouygues.
But the lines can move soon. In a report, the General Inspectorate of Finance (IGF) revealed ways to reform with the aim of simplifying and improving control over the increase in this tax that was created in 2011, reports reverberation.
It must be said that this tax of 1,674 euros per device installed on their antennas is too expensive for operators. According to the French Telecommunication Union, last year nearly 200 million euros were returned to the pockets of societies. With the deployment of 5G, the amount of Ifer mobile could eventually increase by more than 80 million euros per year.
Towers tax or sales
Among the avenues studied, the tax applied to power towers and not to antennas, which could potentially penalize Free, the operator is currently hitting 4G sites to catch up. There are also direct taxes on mobile phone companies’ turnover and no longer on infrastructure.
If the IGF’s proposals are validated, the changes can be applied to the upcoming 2022 Finance Bill. At the moment, the report is on the table in the office of Bruno Le Maire, Minister of the Economy, and Cédric O, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Digital. A meeting was supposed to take place on Tuesday with the telecom companies on the matter.
Often it’s the same old story:We are sorry that on the occasion of this financing bill, we were unable to reduce this IFER production tax but you know, these financing bills are there every year. ”LREM deputy, Eric Boothorell, told Xavier Niel, during a Free Founder’s hearing before the National Assembly’s Economic Affairs Committee last November.
Operators hope for a change
For its part, Free is now calling for more protection in order to fully invest. “Communications have not invested much before, networks are working. We are not asking for help but only to be protected to allow us to invest. Xavier Neal shouted.
IFER mobile is already swinging in the affiliate Iliad. It is a special and sectoral tax that we find problematic. It’s about penalizing the investment, that is, the more antennas we have, the more we pay taxes, every new site includes paying a new tax, which is very unhealthy.“Al-Qadi is the founder of Free. And add: “Not appropriate for mobile IFER size.”
For its part, SFR is campaigning for the removal of Ifer mobile on 2G and maximum 3G, 4G and 5G.
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