Business
Association Okays Customs, FIRS Merger
The Shippers Association
Lagos State, has said that the proposed merger of FIRS and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) would harmonise revenue generation.
The president of the association, Mr Jonathan Nicol, stated this in an interview with The Tide Source
Nicol said that, “FIRS collects tax from human beings, while Customs places tax on goods.”
According to the shipper, if both organisations merge, their jobs would be seamless.
“Both agencies are collecting revenue for government. Customs Service has its Harmonised Customs Code which streamlined the amount to be paid on every consignment.
“The two of them (FIRS and Customs) should come together and work for government to reduce corruption in the system.
“The joint operations by both agencies will checkmate their activities because one will be a spy to another,” The Tide source quotes Nicol as saying.
He said that the merger of NCS and FIRS would reduce the cost of doing business.
The President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Mr Olayiwola Shittu, at its extra-ordinary general meeting recently in Lagos, said “the core mandate of the NCS is not revenue generation but trade facilitation in an increasingly technology-driven world.”
He said that the Act which established the NCS was quite different from that of the FIRS, adding that the Act was needed “to marry the two strange bed-fellows together”.
The ANLCA chief said that what the Federal Ministry of Finance and the FIRS needed to do was to create an environment that would balance the needs of revenue collection and the facilitation of trade.
Shittu said that the NCS needed a close working relationship with the FIRS to boost revenue.
He described Customs as a Para-military organisation, “while the FIRS is just a tax collector”.
“Customs is not a tax collector but a revenue generator,” Shittu said.
He suggested that instead of a merger, the two agencies should create a platform where all revenue accrued to Customs would be seen by FIRS officials.
The National Tax Policy Review Committee constituted by the Federal Government has recommended the merger of the FIRS and the NCS.
The Committee, headed by Prof. Abiola Sanni, was inaugurated on Aug. 10 by the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun.
The committee recommended that the merger of both agencies would improve administrative efficiency; reduce the cost of revenue collection as well as ensure accountability.
The draft of the reviewed National Tax Policy was presented at the committee’s second stakeholders’ engagement in Abuja in September by the West Africa Tax Leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Mr Taiwo Oyedele.
Business
Food Vendors, Others Relocate To New Site At PH Airport
The raging controversy between the Port Harcourt International Airport Management and restaurants/canteen operators and theirallies over relocation has been brought under control, as the operators have commenced relocation to their structures at the new site.
Recall that there had been serious feud over a directive by the Manager of the airport, Mr. Michael Area, for food vendors and their allies to relocate to the new site.
They insisted that the new site was too distant and hence, would negatively affect patronage from customers, with possible loss.
They further also insisted that it wouldcost them much money to put up another structure, given the economic situation in the country, since the airport management did not build any structure for them, apart from providing the empty land they have to also pay for.
The situation had led to flexing of muscles, which made the Airport Manager to order for sealing of all shops, resulting in scarcity of food, as airport users could not find a place to eat, apart from the only Genesis fast food spot available.
As at last Friday, The Tide observed that most of the food vendors had transferred their structures to the new place, and had started doing business there already.
Meanwhile, customers have started settling down at the new location as they were seen patronising shops for foods and drinks, in spite of the distance.
Few of the remaining structures at the old site, The Tide further gathered, will also be removed as quickly as possible, and the owners are making efforts to get funds for the job to be done.
One of them, Mrs Aka Love explained that she was going to relocate to the new place before the end of March.
Currently, business activities at the old site have come to null, as the place which was usually a beehive of food, drinks and relaxation, has completely winded down.
By: Corlins Walter
Business
MOWCA Strengthens Maritime Crime Prevention
Secretary General of the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA), Dr. Paul Adalikwu, has stepped up interaction with the United States Government to lift restrictions placed on some member countries allegedly implicated in illicit shipping activities.
Adalikwu, who led a delegation from the MOWCA Secretariat to the US Embassy in Abidjan for a first leg of the strategic consultation aimed at promoting seamless participation of MOWCA countries in international trade within the global maritime space, reiterated the organisation’s commitment to the best ethical and lawful maritime practices.
Addressing the U.S Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, H.E Mrs Jessica Davis Ba, the MOWCA SG stated the organisation’s interest in promoting the International Ship and Port facility Security (ISPS) code which aims at enhancing security of vessels and their ports of call.
He expressed the commitment of MOWCA in promoting environmentally friendly, safe and cost effective shipping without any encumbrance that may limit the economic potential of member countries.
Dr Adalikwu recalled that at the instance of the U.S. Department of State invitation, MOWCA participated in the 2023 Registry Information Sharing Compact (RISC) Conference in Larnaca, Cyprus, on February 28–March 1, 2023, and a virtual meeting held on June 6 2023, with Mrs Jennifer Chalmers, Officer in change of Counterproliferation Initiative.
He recalled The U.S. DOS willingness to support MOWCA’s effort for preventive maritime security through the establishment of the Center for Information and Communication (CINFOCOM) with the aim to ensure a maritime situational awareness domain within MOWCA’s member states’ waters.
He added that MOWCA under his watch is committed to training and retraining of maritime practitioners and experts to enhance the human capital capabilities of member states.
The CINFOCOM will help prevent transnational crimes committed at sea like sanctions evasion by North Korea and other state actors, who exploit poor enforcement due diligence by ship open registries to circumvent United Nations and U.S. trade restrictions.
By: Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
Business
Nigeria’s Public Debt Hits N97.3trn – DMO
The Debt Management Office (DMO) has hinted that Nigeria’s public debt increased by 10.7 per cent from N87.87 trillion in the third quarter of last year, to N97.34 trillion as at December 31, 2023.
DMO, in an update data released last Friday, said the increase in the debt stock was largely due to new domestic borrowing by the Federal Government to part finance the deficit in the 2024 Appropriation Act and disbursements by multilateral and bilateral lenders.
The office noted that the N97.3 trillion public debt comprises of domestic debt of N59.12 trillion and external debt of N38.22 trillion. The sum of $3.5 billion was used to service external debt during the review period.
“Nigeria’s Public Debt Stock as at December 31, 2023 was N97.34trillion or $108.229 billion. This amount comprises the domestic and external debt stocks of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), the 36 States Governments, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“There was an increase of N9.43 trillion over the comparative figure for September, 2023, which was largely due to new domestic borrowing by the FGN to part finance the deficit in the 2024 Appropriation Act and disbursements by multilateral and bilateral lenders.
“At N59.12 trillion, total domestic debt accounted for 61 percent of the total public debt stock, while external debt at N38.22 trillion accounted for the balance of 39 percent.
“Consistent with the debt management strategy, Nigeria’s external debt stock was skewed in favour of loans from multilateral (49.77 percent) and bilateral lenders (14.02 percent) or total of 63.79 percent which are mostly concessional and semi-concessional.
“Whilst the DMO continues to employ best practice in public debt management, the recent and on-going efforts of the fiscal authorities to shore up revenue will support debt sustainability”, DMO stated.
By: Corlins Walter
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