MTN, tiGO: This is awful!

TODAY was indeed sickened when it was reported that the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly KMA last Tuesday closed down the offices of MTN and tiGO in Kumasi. What necessitated the Assembly to take such a punitive action, according to the report, was against the fact that these so-called two major players in the telecom industry had defaulted in the payment of property rates on their erected masts.
ALTHOUGH we were told yesterday that the offices of the two companies have been opened following an agreement on how they intend to settle their debt, we on this paper are however compelled to register our displeasure against the conduct of the two companies.
WHILE tiGO was reported to be owing the Assembly property rates to the tune of GH¢323,894, MTN’s debt stood at GH¢300,177. And these debts, we are told, spanned over a period of 3 years of operations in Kumasi.
WE on Today newspaper cannot fathom what will make these two telecom companies to default in the payment of their property rates for well over a period of three years despite the huge profits made by these companies. This is something that tiGO and MTN would have to explain to the good people of this country.
THERE is no gainsaying the fact that MTN and tiGO have the largest share of customers in Ghana in terms of the number of people who are hooked in on their networks. We can also not dispute the obvious fact that the two companies do not make profits so far as their operations are concerned.
SO the question again is: What on earth will compel tiGO and MTN to default in the payment of property rates in Kumasi? The conduct of the two companies is indeed awful and irritating! We recommend that KMA takes further action by fining them. We believe that when such an action is taken it will make other telecommunication companies to sit up.
SERIOUSLY, Today cannot understand why authorities of KMA will sit all this while for the debts of MTN and tiGO to increase. Do we take that to mean that KMA showed some level of laxity in the collection of property rates from the companies? We think that KMA has an explanation to do on this matter!
WE hope the action taken by KMA, which clearly has indicted MTN and tiGO, will ensure that they will henceforth perform their obligations to mother Ghana. It is our hope again that other telecom industry players will take a cue from what happened to MTN and tiGO.