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Our mandate is to collect taxes, not grant waivers, says FIRS

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Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Muhammad Nami

The Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Muhammad Nami, has clarified that the mandate of the Service is to collect taxes due to the federation and the Federal Government and not to grant tax waivers to any taxpayer.

Nami stated this yesterday in Abuja. In a statement signed by Johannes Oluwatobi Wojuola, the Special Assistant to the FIRS ‘ Executive Chairman, Media and Communication, Nami was said to be reacting to reports that some companies like Dangote, Sinotruck Limited, Lafarge, Honeywell, etc had been granted tax waiver on pioneer status between 2019 and last year for N16 trillion by the FIRS and the other Federal Government agencies.

According to Nami, “FIRS does not have the power or responsibility of facilitating or even implementing tax waivers to investors in Nigeria. There are relevant agencies of government that are charged with such responsibility.”

He, however, noted that the Service was not unmindful of the objectives of granting tax waivers to investors, which he said include “helping to grow local companies, stimulate economic growth, and earn investors’ confidence”.

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Nami also stated that he was “confident that the companies which are enjoying tax breaks will soon exit and begin to pay taxes to the Federal Government as is cu being done by the companies that have equally enjoyed such tax breaks in the past and are now paying taxes in hundreds of billions of naira”.

Such companies, he said, “will continue to pay taxes to the government so long as they remain in business.”

The FIRS chief also clarified that “the companies enjoying the Pioneer Status will be exempted from paying only the Direct Taxes (eg CIT, EDT) from their profits but will continue to act as agents of collecting and remitting Indirect Taxes (eg VAT, WHT) during their operations”.

He emphasisied that he remained focused on achieving the mandate of the Service which is to assess, collect, and account for taxes due to the federation and the Federal Government.

This task, he noted, “is challenging, more so at this time of global economic disruption occasioned by the Russia-Ukraine war and the Pandemic”.

The FIRS boss hinted that “the Service is poised to perform better than its record for last year” having surpassed its target by collecting an unprecedented amount of N6.4 trillion in taxes.

 The Nation

Business

CBN sells dollar to BDCs at N1,021/$1

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CBN sells dollar to BDCs at N1,021/$1

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced a $10,000 sale to each licensed Bureau De Change (BDC) operator nationwide.

The apex bank has made its second intervention this month.

The CBN detailed the action in a circular issued to the President of the Association of Bureau De Change Operators (ABCON).

BDCs can purchase dollars at a rate of N1,021 per dollar.

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They are, therefore, authorized to sell this forex to eligible end users at a maximum spread of 1.5 percent above the purchase price, translating to a maximum selling price of N1,036.15 per dollar.

On the 8th of April 2024, the CBN sold $10,000 FX to each of the 1,588 participating BDCs at a fixed rate of N1101 per US dollar at a spread capped at 1.5 percent above the purchase price from the CBN (approximately N1,116.15 per dollar). This limited the potential profit BDCs could make on each transaction

The latest circular has instructed all eligible BDCs to commence immediate payment of the Naira equivalent for their allocated $10,000 into designated CBN Naira Deposit Accounts.

CBN sells dollar to BDCs at N1,021/$1

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Dangote refinery further drops diesel price to N940/litre 

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Dangote refinery further drops diesel price to N940/litre 

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced a further reduction in the price of both diesel to N940 per litre.

This is coming a few days after the refinery reduced diesel price to N1,000 per litre.

It also gave a new price for aviation fuel, pegging it at N980 per litre.

It disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, saying the diesel price change of N940 is applicable to customers buying five million litres or more from the refinery, while those purchasing one million litres or more will pay N970.

It said this marked the third major reduction in diesel price “in less than three weeks when the product sold at N1,700 to N1,200 and also a further reduction to N1,000 and now N940 for diesel and N980 for aviation fuel per litre”.

Speaking on the new development, Anthony Chiejina, head of communication, Dangote Group, said the new price was in tandem with the company’s commitment to alleviating the effect of economic hardship in Nigeria.

“I can confirm to you that Dangote Petroleum Refinery has entered a strategic partnership with MRS Oil and Gas stations, to ensure that consumers get to buy fuel at affordable price, in all their stations, be it Lagos or Maiduguri,” he said.

“You can buy as low as one litre of diesel at N1,050 and aviation fuel at N980 at all major airports where MRS operates.”

He said the partnership would be extended to other major oil marketers.

“The essence of this is to ensure that retail buyers do not buy at exorbitant prices,” he said.

“The Dangote Group is committed to ensuring that Nigerians have a better welfare and as such, we are happy to announce this new prices and hope that it would go a long way to cushion the effect of economic challenges in the country.”

Director-General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Ajayi Kadiri, said the decision “to first crash the price from about N1,750/litre to N1,200/litre, N1,000/litre and now N940 is an eloquent demonstration of the capacity of local industries to positively impact the fortunes of the national economy.

“The trickle-down effect of this singular intervention promises to change the dynamics in the energy cost equation of the country, in the midst of inadequate and rising cost of electricity.”

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Dana Air grounds plane after runway incident, 83 passengers on board

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Dana Air grounds plane after runway incident, 83 passengers on board

Dana Air says it has grounded its airplane that skidded off the Lagos airport runway on Tuesday.
The affected aircraft, a McDonald Douglas (MD-83) with registration 5N-BKI, had 83 passengers on board, it added.
Spokesman for the airline, Mr Kingsley Ezenwa, however, said all the 83 passengers and crew onboard the flight disembarked safely without injuries.
He said in a statement that the airline decided to ground the plane to allow for proper investigation into what caused the accident.
The statement read in part, “Dana Air regrets to inform the public of a runway incursion involving one of our aircraft, registration number 5N BKI, which was flying from Abuja to Lagos today, 23/04/24.
“We are relieved to confirm that all 83 passengers and crew onboard the flight disembarked safely without injuries or scare as the crew handled the situation with utmost professionalism.
“We have also updated the Accident Investigation Bureau, AIB, and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on the incident, and the aircraft involved has been grounded by our maintenance team for further investigation.
“We wish to thank the airport authorities, our crew for their very swift response in ensuring the safe disembarkation of all passengers following the incident, and our sincere apologies and appreciation to the passengers on the affected flight for their patience and understanding.”

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