Business

Companies Pay N11.5tn Tax Under Buhari – Report

Published

1 year ago

January 23, 2023

Editor

The Federal Government has raked in N11.5tn from taxes paid by business organisations under the administration of Muhammadu Buhari (retd), findings have revealed.

Data sourced from Company Income Tax reports published by the National Bureau of Statistics between 2015 and 2022 showed CIT collected by the Federal Inland Revenue Service stood at N1.3tn when the President assumed office in 2015 and dipped by 26 per cent to N1tn in 2016 when the country’s economy went into recession due a significant drop in oil prices.

It maintained an upward trajectory between 2017 and 2020, as the government generated a total of N5.3tn during this period.

Companies Income Tax is a tax on the profits of incorporated entities in Nigeria. It also includes the tax on the profits of non-resident companies carrying on business in Nigeria. The tax is paid by limited liability companies inclusive of the public limited liability companies. It is commonly referred to as a corporate tax.

The CIT rate is 30 per cent for large companies (i.e. companies with gross turnover greater than NGN 100m), assessed on a preceding year basis (i.e. tax is charged on profits for the accounting year ending in the year preceding assessment).

The Federal Government earned N1.6tn from corporate tax in 2021 and made a record N2tn revenue from CIT in the three quarters of last year.

According to the data, the highest contributors to the CIT were the manufacturing, Information Communication Technology and financial services sectors.

Also a critical evaluation of 2022’s Company Income Tax records showed a significant hike in taxes paid by companies across the board.

For example, tax from firms in the information and communication sector rose by 158.51 per cent from N51.05bn in the third quarter of 2021 to N131.97bn in the corresponding period in 2022.

In the same vein, manufacturers paid the most taxes during the period in review, as the Federal Government increased the number of taxes collectable by the Federal Inland Revenue Services from 39 to 61 items.

Some of the new taxes as contained in the schedule to the taxes and levies (Approved list for collection) Act (Amendment Order), 2015, include “national information technology development levy, economic development levy, environmental (ecological) fee or levy; inter-state road taxes; mining, milling and quarrying fee; infrastructure maintenance charge; social services contribution tax, and wharf landing fee where applicable.

Others are entertainment tax, produce sales tax, property tax (where applicable); fire service charge; slaughter or abattoir fee, where state finance is involved, etc.”

In the same vein, checks by The PUNCH revealed that CIT paid by manufacturers increased by 52.3 per cent from N91.2bn paid in the third quarter of 2021 to N138.9bn in the corresponding quarter of 2022.

Speaking in an interview with The PUNCH, the President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Michael Olawale-Cole, said the productive sector was being overburdened by taxes because of the government’s inability to widen the tax bracket and capture more taxpayers.

Olawale-Cole further advised the government to devise means of protecting its sources of revenue rather than resort to aggressive taxation whenever it encounters a revenue shortfall.

He said, “So, the government needs money, but what we are saying is that the government is just putting pressure on the same people as opposed to developing to bring more people into the tax bracket. That is the major issue. There are a lot of people who are not paying taxes but are making money in this country.

“So, the government should find a way of catching them. They are improving because now government banks are linked with tax authorities. So, if income comes into your account, they have a way of knowing. They should do more of that. “This could be done through electronic means.

“We are saying they should not increase the tax rates all the time for the same people who are paying when there are more people who are not paying because if you tax them to a point, they will not be able to pay.”

Industry experts in the ICT sector, which ranks amongst the highest contributors to the CIT, have also raised concerns that the sector was being overburdened by multiple taxes.

A report titled “Taxing Nigeria’s subnational economies to oblivion” by SBM Intelligence recently revealed that the industry suffered from over-taxation because of its sustained growth in the last 20 years.

It said, “At the federal level, telecommunications companies are expected to pay taxes such as Companies Income Tax, the Capital Gains Tax, Withholding Taxes, Stamp Duty, National Industrial Training Fund, Employees Compensation Scheme, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, National Housing Fund contributions, Contributory Pension Schemes, and customs duties.

“These taxes are applicable to all incorporated companies in Nigeria. There are also sector-specific taxes and levies such as the Annual Operating Levy paid to the Nigerian Communications Commission by all holders of licences issued by the regulator, the National Cybersecurity Fund, the National Information Technology Development Fund Levy and Right of Way charges.”
PUNCH

Business

BREAKIN: NDIC Increases Maximum Deposit Insurance Coverage

Published

1 day ago

May 2, 2024

Editor

The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) on Thursday increased the maximum deposit insurance coverage levels for Deposit Money Banks from N500,000 to N5 million.

The Managing Director of NDIC, Bello Hassan, announced this in Abuja at a press conference, stating that it takes effect immediately.

He said, “For Deposit Money Banks, the increase of the maximum deposit insurance coverage from N500,000 to N5,000,000, would provide full coverage of 98.98% of the total depositors compared with the current cover of 89.20%.

“In terms of the value of deposit covered, the revised coverage would increase the value of deposits covered by deposit insurance to 25.37% compared with the current cover of 6.31% of total value of deposits.

“The increase of the maximum deposit insurance coverage from N200,000 to N2,000,000, would provide full coverage of 99.27% of the total depositors compared with the current level of 98.76% and would increase the value of deposits covered by deposit insurance to 34.43% compared with 14.38% of total value of deposit, currently covered.

“The increase of the maximum deposit insurance coverage from N500,000 to N2,000,000 would provide full coverage of 99.34% of the total depositors compared with the current 97.98% and would increase the value of deposits covered by deposit insurance to 21.04% compared with 10.77% of total value of deposit, currently covered.”

Hassan also stated that raising the maximum deposit insurance coverage for primary mortgage banks from N500,000 to N2,000,000 would provide full coverage for 99.99% of total depositors and increase the value of deposits covered by deposit insurance to 43.10% of the total deposit value, up from the current 40.60% cover.

The Corporation has also raised the maximum pass-through deposit insurance coverage for subscribers of Mobile Money Operators from N500,000 to N5,000,000 per subscriber.

Business

Dangote Speaks On Devaluation Of Naira

Published

2 days ago

May 1, 2024

Editor

Chairman of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote has said that the devaluation of Naira created the biggest mess for the company in 2023.

Speaking at the annual general meeting of Dangote Sugar Refinery, Dangote said this affected lots of companies in the country.

He said: “We are doing whatever it takes to make sure that at the end of the day, we will be paying dividends because if you look at our dividends last year, it was almost 50 percent more so we will try and get out of the mess.

“The biggest mess created was actually the devaluation of the naira from N460 to N1,400. You can see almost 97 percent of the companies, especially in food and beverages businesses, none of them will pay dividends this year for sure but, we will try and get out of it as soon as possible.

“We want to see that at the end of the day, no matter how small, we will be able to pay some dividends, especially if there is a rebound of the naira.”

Business

Customers Panic As CBN Bans Opay, Palmpay, Others’ New Accounts

Published

3 days ago

April 30, 2024

Editor

Some bank customers have expressed panic as the Central Bank of Nigeria bans mobile money operators including fintech firms from onboarding new customers.

However, the Bank Customers Association of Nigeria backed the CBN directive.

The new directive will affect fintech companies such as OPay, Palmpay, Kuda Bank, and Moniepoint, from opening new accounts until further notice.

Reliable sources from three major fintechs who requested not to be mentioned as they were not permitted to speak, confirmed the development to The PUNCH on Monday.

The CBN’s move was linked to an ongoing audit of the Know-Your-Customer process of the fintechs, which have been under scrutiny in recent months over concerns around money laundering and terrorism financing.

It was gathered that the CBN had summoned some of the heads of fintechs to Abuja to discuss issues around KYC last week.

The CBN has not yet publicly commented on the directive to the fintech firms. The PUNCH’s attempts to reach the apex bank for comment were unsuccessful.

Several calls made to the telephone line of the CBN spokesperson, Hakama Ali Sidi, were not responded to as of the time of filing this report.

Also, the directive coincided with the court order that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) obtained to freeze at least 1,146 bank accounts owned by various individuals and companies allegedly involved in illegal foreign exchange transactions.

The 85-page court order (document), which listed the bank account details suspected to be involved in illicit activities, was obtained by The PUNCH on Monday.

Justice Emeka Nwite, in a ruling on the ex-parte motion, moved by counsel for the anti-graft agency, Ekele Iheanacho, also granted the commission’s application to conclude the investigation within 90 days.

Part of the court document read, “That the applicant’s (EFCC) application is hereby granted as prayed.

“That an order of this honorable court is hereby made freezing the bank accounts stated in the schedule below, which accounts are owned by various individuals who are currently being investigated in a case involving the offenses of unauthorised dealing in foreign exchange, money laundering, and terrorism financing, to the extent that the investigation will be for a period of 90 (ninety) days.”

The EFCC, in the motion marked FHC/ABJ/CS/543/2024 dated and filed April 24 by Iheanacho, was heard by the judge the same day in the interest of national interest.

“The motion was brought pursuant to Section 44(2) and (K) of the 1999 Constitution; Section 34 of the EFCC Establishment Act 2004; Section 7(8) of the Money Laundering Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022; and under the inherent jurisdiction of the court.”

The President of the Bank Customers Association of Nigeria, Uju Ogubunka, backed the CBN’s move to suspend new account opening on the affected platforms.

He told The PUNCH that the strict regulations that govern deposit money banks must apply to fintechs, and microfinance banks in order to ensure the integrity of the financial institutions.

He said, “Anything that can disrupt the system should not be permitted. If the platforms are being used for things that are against the regulations, I think the CBN decision is OK. I don’t see anything wrong with that. It behoves on the companies now to get their KYC right.

“Let them do what they are supposed to do. KYC applies to banks and other financial institutions that deposit money. It should also apply to them so that the regulators can understand what is going on and hold them accountable.”

On the other hand, Emmanuel Odunsi on X (formerly Twitter) welcomed the move, citing the need for better KYC processes to prevent scams and fraudulent activities.

“Their KYC isn’t that great. Lots of scammers are using their apps to defraud people.

“Most of the accounts were created by mining phone numbers, with subscribers’ permission. Almost every phone number has been linked to an account,” Odunsi said.

In October 2023, Fidelity Bank blocked transfers to OPay, Palmpay, Kuda, and Moniepoint due to concerns around KYC processes.

In response, the CBN introduced new KYC rules for all financial institutions in November 2023, which appeared to target fintech startups.

A source from Moniepoint said the company had complied with the directive, effectively halting new account creation on their platform. However, the source denied having anything to do with KYC.

“It’s just a regulation from the CBN, and we’ve complied. The real question is, why are fintechs always targeted,” he source argued.

“It has nothing to do with KYC; I am aware that the CBN communicated, but this particular issue dwells on accounts related to cryptocurrency transactions,” the source revealed.

The CBN has an ambitious target to increase overall financial inclusion to 95 per cent of the adult population by 2024.

With the new order, the target may be affected, as the company processes about 100 new accounts every day.

The source argued that fintechs had played significant roles in deepening financial inclusion in the country.

The company had deployed robust and reliable digital payment infrastructure that has facilitated an average monthly transaction value of $12bn for about 1.6 million businesses, it said last year.

A senior employee of PalmPay confirmed to The PUNCH that there was a CBN directive for fintechs to reassess their KYC processes.

This is causing a temporary pause in onboarding new customers, the source stated.

She clarified that the KYC review was a collaborative effort with the CBN, and fintechs were awaiting further instructions without a specified timeline for resolution.

Another source at OPay, who also declined to be named, said they were following the CBN’s directive and could not comment further.

“We don’t really have anything to say. It’s just a directive that we are following. The CBN has issued their directive.“

Fintech companies have faced increased regulatory scrutiny over their account opening processes.

Customers worry

However, some customers have also used social media, both on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, to express their worries and opinions on the matter.

Some customers are anxious about the safety of their funds, with Warisenibo Jumbo suggesting it’s best to transfer their money out of Opay.

Oye Niran wondered if their Moniepoint account was safe, stating, “Hope my Moniepoint account is safe.”

Larry Leanz questioned the rationale for keeping money on these platforms.

“But is it still safe to keep money there?, Leanz questioned.