Customs Archives — Business Bells

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Tag: Customs

  • Customs Seeks Excise Duty On Non-Alcoholic Drinks, Says Soft Drinks Pose Harmful Effects to Humans

    Customs Seeks Excise Duty On Non-Alcoholic Drinks, Says Soft Drinks Pose Harmful Effects to Humans

     

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has called for the re-introduction of excise duty on all drinks produced in the country.

     

    Comptroller-General of the NCS, Hameed Ali disclosed this at an interactive session on the 2022-2024 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Finance.

     

    This is not the first time government is proposing a collection of excise duty on soft drinks.

     

    In 2019, Minister of Finance, Zainan Ahmed had announced that the government may introduce excise duty on carbonated drinks.

     

    Excise duty is a levy placed on the manufacture of locally produced goods.

     

    Chairman of the committee, James Faleke had asked why NCS does not charge excise duty on non-alcoholic drinks.

     

    Responding, the comptroller-general said the NCS had made several submissions for alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks to be taxed.

     

    He said both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks pose harmful effects to humans, adding that there is a 30 percent excise levy on alcoholic drinks.

     

    “On several cases, I have made submissions. Mr Chairman is aware that I have been on this battle that we should re-excise the companies that were de-excised in 2019,” he said.

     

    “What we have been fighting for is that if alcohol beverages and tobacco are injurious to our health that is why the government decided to tax them, the carbonated drinks are equally injurious to our health and they should be taxed.

     

    “I have sung this song for many years now, Coca-Cola is producing in this country and it is not being taxed. There is nowhere you go in the world that Coca-Cola is not paying tax to its host country, but Coca-Cola in this country is not paying anything because of the government unwillingness to re-excise those companies.

    “For us, we have been battling for it, and I hope that one day, we will start collecting.”

     

    The Committee chairman said the lawmakers may consider amending the Finance Act so that excise duty will be charged on both carbonated and non-carbonated drinks.

     

    “We will be considering, I am sure that the federal government will be coming up with the 2022 finance bill, there is a need for us to look at the possibility of charging excise duty on all drinks manufactured in this country, this on all drinks, carbonated and non-carbonated,” he said.

     

    “Carbonated is already part of the finance act, but companies cannot be operating and making huge profits. We are talking about excise – I am sure they are paying their income tax, but in terms of production tax, even non-alcoholic are injurious, if you drink too much you will just be consuming sugar.”

     

  • Customs Intercepts Dangote Truck With 600 Smuggled Rice, Three Arrested

    Customs Intercepts Dangote Truck With 600 Smuggled Rice, Three Arrested

     

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Ogun 1 Area Command, has seized an articulated vehicle belonging to Dangote Cement Company loaded with 600 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice.

     

    The truck conveying the contraband was intercepted along the Ijoun border axis of Ogun State.

     

    The NCS personnel also arrested three persons, including the truck driver, as they were conveying the consignment to the eastern part of the country.

     

    The Customs Area Controller, Peter Kolo, disclosed this on Wednesday at the monthly press briefing on the activities of the command in Idiroko.

     

    Kolo said the truck was intercepted in the Ijoun border area of Ogun State.

     

    He added that investigation was ongoing to unmask the persons behind the massive smuggling activity.

     

    The controller said the command, in March, intercepted a truck belonging to the Nigerian Bottling Company used to smuggle contraband goods into the country.

     

    On the seizure of contraband goods made by the command in the month of April, Kolo said 7,000 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice or equivalent of 12 trailer loads were seized.

     

    He added that 500 book sizes of cannabis, popularly known as Indian hemp, along with the vehicles used as means of conveyance were also seized.

     

    According to him, smuggling of foreign rice is frustrating the Federal Government’s rice and agricultural policies.

     

     “Just a few days ago, another articulated truck bearing the inscription and logo of Dangote Cement Company was intercepted in the Ijoun border area and was loaded with over 600 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice and heading for the eastern part of the country.

     

    “Three persons were arrested, including the driver of the vehicle, and investigation is going to unravel those behind the massive smuggling activity.”

     

    The controller said various quantities of poultry products, cannabis sativa, vehicles and other means of conveyance, used clothes and shoes, used tyres, sugar, tomato in retail form, body creams and petroleum products for export were also seized during the period under review.

     

    Kolo added, “The cumulative Duty Paid Value for the seizures in April amounted to N189,923,293.

     

    “The Federal Government’s directive on border closure is still subsisting. A sum of N225,000 was generated from the auction of seized petroleum products and scrap metals in the month of April.”

     

     He, however, declared that men and officers of the command would sustain the onslaught against smugglers despite several attacks on Customs personnel by smugglers and their promoters.

  • Slash On Imported Vehicles’ Duties Begins Next Week – Customs

    Slash On Imported Vehicles’ Duties Begins Next Week – Customs

    The planned reduction in the duties on vehicles and tractors from 35 to about 10 per cent may take off next week, the Nigeria Customs Service said on Tuesday.

     

    Comptroller-General of Customs, Hameed Ali, who disclosed this to journalists in Abuja, said the management of the service was expecting an official communication from the finance ministry on the matter any moment from now.

     

    He said the vehicle tariff reduction, as contained in the 2020 Finance Act, was initiated by the NCS to ease the cost of transportation in Nigeria.

     

    He said, “We are the proponents of the new tariff. I’ve been torn apart by many people criticising it, saying I used my connection to get it done. But it is in the overall interest of Nigeria.

     

    “Now, it has become a law. We are now waiting for the finance minister to give us a formal conveyance of that Act. Once we receive it, we commence implementation immediately and inform our commands.

     

    “We are hoping that latest by next week, it will become operational.”

     

    On the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, Ali said all aspects that concerned the NCS had been adhered to.

     

    He, however, noted that the service would need certain inputs from the AfCFTA secretariat, such rules of origin, as this should not be left to chambers of commerce alone, adding that the NCS should part of the team.