Coke, Fanta Prices To Increase As FG Imposes N10/Litre Excise Duty On Carbonated Drinks

Published

4 years ago

January 5, 2022

The federal government has introduced an excise duty of N10 per litre on all non-alcoholic, carbonated and sweetened beverages.

Excise duty is a form of tax imposed on the production, licensing and sale of goods.

Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance, budget and national planning, said this during the public presentation of the 2022 Appropriation Act on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to her, the new policy introduced is in the Finance Act signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on December 31, 2021.

In 2019, Zainab Ahmed, the minister of finance, had announced that the government may introduce excise duty on carbonated drinks.

In 2020, Hameed Ali, comptroller-general of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), had proposed the collection of excise duty on soft drinks.

He had also put forward the same proposal in 2021 at an interactive session on the 2022-2024 medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF), organised by the house of representatives committee on finance.

Apart from the new ‘Sugar Tax’ in section 17, Ahmed said the 2021 finance Act also raised excise duties and revenues for the health sector.

The minister said the excise duty on soft drinks would discourage excessive consumption of sugar beverages which contributes to diabetes, obesity among others.

However, checks by TheCable showed that there are other sources of sugar intake, including alcoholic drinks, biscuits, buns, cakes, dairy products, and savoury food.

“There’s now an excise duty of N10/ per litre imposed on all non-alcoholic and sweetened beverages,” she said.

“And this is to discourage excessive consumption of sugar in beverages which contributes to a number of health conditions including diabetes and obesity.

“But also used to raise excise duties and revenues for health-related and other critical expenditures.

“This is in line also with the 2022 budget priorities.”

(The Cable)

CBN Issues Directive Clarifying Holding Companies’ Minimum Capital

Published

4 hours ago

November 24, 2025

Editor

The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has issued a definitive directive detailing how financial holding companies should calculate their minimum paid-up capital, following weeks of confusion that delayed the release of some banks’ half-year and nine-month financial statements.

In a circular dated November 14, 2025, the apex bank acknowledged “divergent interpretations” of the term minimum paid-up capital as stated in Section 7.1 of the 2014 Guidelines for Licensing and Regulation of Financial Holding Companies.

To eliminate ambiguity, the CBN ruled that minimum paid-up capital must be computed strictly as the par value of issued shares plus any share premium arising from their issuance.

“All Financial Holding Companies are required to apply this definition in computing their minimum capital requirement—without exception for subsidiaries,” the circular stated.

The regulator added that the directive takes immediate effect, noting that any previous interpretation that does not align with the new clarification “should be discontinued forthwith.”

The move is expected to calm market anxiety and provide clarity for lenders navigating ongoing regulatory capital requirements.

Business

Naira Records Massive Week-on-week Depreciation Against US Dollar

Published

1 day ago

November 23, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian Naira recorded massive week-on-week losses against the United States dollar at the official foreign exchange market.

The Central Bank of Nigeria’s exchange rate showed that the Naira dipped significantly to end the week at N1,456.73 on Friday, November 21, 2025, down from N1,442.43 traded on November 14.

This means that on a weekly basis, the Naira shed N14.06 against the dollar at the official market.

Business

Naira Appreciates Against US Dollar After Highest Dip

Published

3 days ago

November 21, 2025

Editor

The Naira bounced back, recording an appreciation against the United States dollar at the official foreign exchange market after hitting its lowest point this week.

Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria showed that the Naira strengthened to N1,452.13 on Thursday, up from N1,454.19 traded on Wednesday.

This represents a gain of N2.06 against the dollar on a day-to-day basis.

Meanwhile, in the black market, the Naira depreciated by N5 to N1,470 per dollar on Thursday, down from N1,465 recorded the previous day.

The apex bank’s data indicated that the country’s external reserves continued to rise, standing at $44.12 billion as of 19 November 2025, despite the mixed sentiments in the currency exchange market.

Recall that on Wednesday, the Naira recorded its highest depreciation against the dollar at the official FX market.