The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investments (FMITI), Nura Abba Rimi, has stated that over 100 enterprises in Nigeria have keyed into the European Union’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP).
A press statement by the
Director Press and Public Relations, noted that he said this while hosting the visiting European Union General Taxation and Customs Union (EU-TAUXID) delegation at the Ministry Headquarters in Abuja Tuesday.
The EU’s GSP eliminates import taxes on items entering the EU market from vulnerable developing nations. By eliminating such import levies, the EU’s GSP assists developing countries in reducing poverty and creating jobs based on international norms and principles such as labour and human rights, environmental and climate protection, and good governance.
He said: “We have over 100 companies that have keyed into these programmes and effort is being made to disseminate information in all geo- political zones of the country and to let interested people and companies know about the conditions that have to be met.
“The system came into existence in 1971, we did not key into the system till 2019 that is about three decades after it started notwithstanding, Nigeria is making giant stride in order to capitalise on the opportunity in order to expand our exports, this goes side by side with the quality of the goods we produce in the country.
“Goods going into EU must originate from Nigeria under certificate of origin, it also has to be certified and we have a system of certification to ensure that those goods really conform with the standard for the EU, in order to benefit from the GSP, I want to assure you of our preparedness and readiness for successful partnership.”
While delivering her remarks, the Head of the Ministry’s Trade Department, Rachel Mande George, stated that “the European Union Director-General, Taxation and Customs Union (TAUXID), Gary Williamson, is on a trade mission in Nigeria to access the GSP Preferential Rules of Origin.”
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Increase SSB tax to N130 per litre now, CAPPA urges FG
The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), has called on the federal government to increase the Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) Tax from N10/litre to N130/litre.
Speaking at the public presentation of the simulation study of the “Potential Fiscal and Public Health Effects of SSB tax in Nigeria”, in Abuja on Monday, the Executive Director of CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said the call for an increase became necessary as SSBs impact the public health of Nigerians.
Mr Oluwafemi recalled that the introduction of 10/litre Excise Duty on SSBs in 2021 through the Finance Act was celebrated, but the SSB Tax campaign saw the need for an increment to N130 due to inflation and the increased burden on Public Health.
According to him, CAPPA in its SSB Tax campaign stresses the need for a multisectoral, interdisciplinary, multiprong approach that combines policy engagement with public awareness, community mobilization, and stakeholder consultation and engagement. Crises
He said that CAPPA in its study, also prioritised intergenerational engagement to build consensus for an effective tax structure to help in the fight against the scourge of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Nigeria, adding that the ideology of the campaign is based on the need for evidence-based campaigning towards evidence propelled decision by policymakers.
Mr Oluwafemi noted that the argument of the SSB industry which cares more about its profit over public health on consumption needs does not outweigh the many benefits inherent in this tax.
