Hoteliers Reject New Excise Duties On Tobacco, Alcoholic Products

Operators in the Hospitality and tourism industry in Rivers State have cried out against the newly approved excise duty on alcoholic beverages and tobacco products in Nigeria.
According to Chairman of the Nigerian Hotels Association, Rivers State, Eugene Nwuzi, if the new directive by the Federal Government is implemented, the hospitality sub-sector of the tourism industry would not be able to cope.
Nwuzi made this declaration in a chat with reporters in Port Harcourt, Wednesday.
He said the “new tax on alcoholic beverages and tobacco would kill the industry and put our members out of business”.
Nwuzi noted that there are other people-oriented areas the government can focus its attention on, stating for instance that power and security are areas that needed to have emergency called over them and not the struggling hotel operators who are struggling to stay afloat in business without having to contend with more tariffs on some of their key “raw materials needed to run their business.
He said, “The Federal Government has attacked the tourism industry especially the hospitality sub-sector, thus will result in high cost and increased rates in alcohol and tobacco”, which until now, he said was quite within the reach of the average person.
He pointed out that given the sad economic situation in the country excise duties should not be increased for now.
Nwuzi observed that currently, both the state and federal government are taking a total of nine per cent taxes from them, “why increase the duty on tobacco and alcoholic beverages and appeal on behalf of his committee members for the Federal Government to remove the heavy taxes on these goods.

Tonye Nria-Dappa