Telecom sector highly taxed like tobacco industry: Airtel Chairman Sunil Mittal

Mittal said the National Digital Communications Policy, like the previous telecom policy, clearly acknowledges that revenue maximisation is not the objective.

From L-R Reliance Industries Ltd. Chairman Mukesh Ambani Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and Bharti Enterprises Chairman and Founder Sunil Bharti Mittal attend the Indian Mobile Congress 2018 at Aerocity in New Delhi. (Photo | PTI) 

NEW DELHI: The telecom sector continues to be highly-taxed just like tobacco industry, and the issue of high levy needs to be resolved, Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Mittal said Thursday.

Speaking at the inaugural session of India Mobile Congress 2018, Mittal said the National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP), like the previous telecom policy, clearly acknowledges that revenue maximisation is not the objective.

"There is also one overarching objective of previous policy and also enshrined in NDCP that revenue maximisation is not the objective.

Then why operators and Department of Telecom are under litigation for revenue maximisation," Mittal said.

The industry, he noted, is being taxed "like tobacco industries" and emphasised that the issue needs to be resolved.