Nigerians To Pay More Tax

Nov 22, 2019Read original

The Senate on Thursday finally passed the Finance Bill which seeks to amend seven Acts of the National Assembly (NASS) relating to taxes payable in the country that includes Value-Added Tax (VAT) in spite an outcry by the opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and key private sector operators in the country.

The bill specifically seeks to increase Value-Added Tax (VAT) from five per cent to 7.5 per cent as part of   President Muhammadu Buhari’s Finance Bill, 2019, which seeks an amendment of Nigeria’s tax laws.The passage of the Bill was a sequel to the consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Finance.The PDP had called on the NASS to reject the 7.5 per cent increase of VAT by the federal government, describing it as insensitive and suppressive.PDP in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, expressed worry that the VAT bill “hurriedly passed through second reading in the Senate even when the details were not made available to lawmakers.”The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) and other private sector operators, had unanimously kicked against the federal government’s intention to increase VAT.According to MAN President, Mansur Ahmed, the plan to increase VAT would worsen the current economic hardship Nigerians are experiencing at the moment.He explained that “Increasing VAT by nearly 50 per cent would worsen the problem of the high cost of doing business in the country. It will also reduce the effective demand of consumers in purchasing goods and services. This will not augur well with manufacturers who already have more unsold items in their warehouses due to the low purchasing power of Nigerian consumers.“Therefore, efforts should be directed at expanding the tax base. This effort has not been exhausted.”Also, the Director-General of the LCCI, Muda Yusuf, said the VAT hike would threaten the business environment that is already challenging investors.According to him, “And knowing the way VAT is operated in this environment, it will not count whether the product is an input for production or not. Because practically everything is subjected to VAT unlike what happens in other climes where VAT is treated purely as a consumption tax.”On her part, the National President of NACCIMA, Hajiya Saratu Iya Aliyu, said while the country had not fully recovered from the 2016 economic recession, it makes no economic sense for the Nigerian government to increase VAT.However, in his presentation of the report on Thursday, Chairman of the Committee, Senator Olamilekan Adeola, said the Bill specifically seeks to amend Nigeria’s tax provisions and make them more responsive to the tax policies of the Federal Government, among other things.He added that the amendment and passage of the Finance Bill would enhance the implementation and effectiveness of the government’s tax policies.According to Adeola, the initiative to reform the tax system and the proposed modifications to the fiscal rules around taxation are clearly aimed at creating an enabling business environment aimed at minimizing the tax burden for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).The Acts amended in the Finance Bill are; Companies Income Tax Act, Cap C21 2004 (as amended to date); Value Added Tax Act, Cap VI, LHN 2007 (as amended), and Customs and Excise Tariff (Consolidation) Act, Cap C49, 2004.Others are; Personal Income Tax Cap P8, LFN 2007 (as amended); Capital Gains Tax Act Cap C1, LFN 2007; Stamp Duties Act Cap S8, LFN 2004, and the Petroleum Profit Tax Act (PPTA) 2004. Senator Adeola further said that the Finance Bill, as amended, would promote fiscal equity by mitigating instances of regressive taxation, as well as introduce tax incentives for investment in infrastructure and capital markets.He added that the bill when signed into law by the President, would support small businesses in line with the on-going “Ease of Doing Business Reforms” and raise revenues for the Government.In his concluding remarks after the clause-by-clause consideration, President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, said the bill’s passage by the Senate was intended “to ensure that we (National Assembly) streamline the tax system in Nigeria and get revenue for the government to provide services and infrastructure to the citizens of this country.“What we have done is very significant because this is to ensure we not only have credible and reliable sources of funding for the 2020 Budget but also for subsequent activities of the government.“The revenue-generating agencies will have to sit up. The National Assembly, particularly the Senate, will be mounting a lot of oversight on the revenue-generating agencies. If they have targets, we must ensure they meet these targets.“What we intend to do is to engage the revenue-generating agencies on a quarterly basis to evaluate their performance on revenue generation, and to identify if there are challenges and how we can achieve better outcomes.“I believe what we have done is not to put tax burdens on the ordinary people. What we have done is to create more revenues to provide services and infrastructure for Nigerians, including ordinary people.“This exercise was done in a bipartisan manner, and that is what we are known for,” Lawan said.Meanwhile, a total of eleven bills scaled first reading during Thursday’s plenary. They are: Chartered Institute of Stock Brokers (Est.) Bill, 2019 (SB. 185), by Senator Amosun lbikunle Oyelaja (Ogun Central); Public Health Institutions Trust Fund (Est.) Bill, 2019 (SB. 188), by Senator Buhari Abdulfatai (Oyo North); Social Intervention Programmes Agency (Est.) Bill, 2019 (SB. 190), by Senator Ndume Mohammed Ali (Borno South), and Nigerian Metrological Agency Act 2003 (Repeal & Re-enactment) Bill, 2019 (SB. 192), by Senator Abdullahi Yahaya Abubakar (Kebbi North).Others are: Nigerian College of Aviation Technology Act CAP N 96 LFN 2004 (Repeal & Re-enactment) Bill, 2019 (SB. 193), by Senator Abdullahi, Yahaya Abubakar (Kebbi North); Nigerian Airspace Management Agency Act CAP N90 LFN 2004 (Repeal 8: Reenactment) Bill, 2019 (SB. 194), by Senator Abdullahi Yahaya Abubakar (Kebbi North-Senate Leader), and Civil Aviation Act 2006 (Repeal & Re-enactment) Bill, 2019 (SB. 195), by Senator Abdullahi, Yahaya Abubakar (Kebbi North-Senate Leader).The bills which also scaled first reading include: Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria Act CAP FSLFN 2004 (Repeal & Re-enactment) Bill, 2019 (SB. 196), by Senator Abdullahi, Yahaya Abubakar (Kebbi North – Senate Leader); Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (Est. etc) Bill, 2019 (SB. 197), by Senator Abdullahi Yahaya Abubakar (Kebbi North – Senate Leader); Care and Protection of Child Parents Bill, 2019 (SB. 198), by Senator Sani Uba (Kaduna Central), and Integrated Rural Development Agency (Est, etc) Bill 2019( SB. 199), by Senator Oduah, Stella Adaeze (Anambra North).