Business
Nigerian Govt Suspends Single Use Plastic Tax of 10%
By Ocheneyi Alli
The Nigerian government , today, announced the suspension of its green tax of 10 percent on Single Use Plastics (SUPs), including plastic containers and bottles.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, gave the directives to the Ministry of Finance, and the Customs authority, after he had signed four Executive Orders which includes the suspension of the 10 percent Single Use Plastics tax, five percent excise tax on telecommunication services; some imported vehicles as well as the excise duties escalation on locally manufactured products.
Also, President Tinubu shifted the commencement date of Finance Act 2022 from May 23, 2023 to September 1, 2023.
He said that the suspension was to ensure adherence to the 90 days minimum advance notice for tax changes as contained in the 2017 National Tax Policy.
Ohibaba.com, reported that two months ago, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria ( MAN) kicked against the surcharge of 10 percent on Single Use Plastic under HS Code 3919.10.00.00 and 3919.90.00.00 as well as Headings – 39.20; 39.21 and 39.23 (Plastic Containers, Films and Bags).
Otunba Francis Meshioye, President of MAN, said that the tax on Single Use Plastics was ill-timed and hasty in view of the fact that the government, through the Federal Ministry of Environment, is currently working towards instituting a Plastic Recycle Waste Management Policy with technical assistance from the United Nations Industrial Organisation (UNIDO) along with support from the Japanese government.
” The project is to institute a long-term solution to manage the menace of plastic wastes and assist the affected industries to retrofit, thereby reaching the threshold of the United Nations goal of green environment as being espoused by the series of the UN organized Conference of Parties (COP),” he said .
Global Ban On Single Use Plastics
On the global scene, the OECD estimated that global plastic pollution could nearly triple to 1.0 billion metric tons by 2060.
And while they estimate that the share of plastic that escapes waste management systems will fall from 22% (2019) to 17% (2060), that’s still a lot of plastic to deal with.
Also, the tide is turning against single-use plastics as many governments have banned the it.
Bangladesh was the first country to ban plastic bags in 2002, while the U.S. banned microbeads in personal care products in 2015, followed by the UK (2018), Canada (2018), and then China (2020-2022).
Business
Airtel Money Targets October Listing On London Stock Exchange
Airtel Money’s parent company is Airtel Africa, a telecoms provider that is part of the Indian conglomerate Bharti Enterprises, which is ultimately controlled by the billionaire Sunil Bharti Mittal.
Airtel Money, the mobile money arm of Airtel Africa, has concluded plans to float on the London Stock Exchange in October.
Airtel Money’s chief executive, Ian Ferrao, made the disclosure Wednesday emphasising that the company would announce more details about the float in early October, including the indicative price range and number of shares to be offered, with final pricing to follow later in the month.
Airtel Africa had originally targeted a listing in the first six months of 2026 but delayed it to the second half of the year, blaming unfavourable market conditions as a result of the US-Israeli war on Iran. Several other companies also pushed back planned IPOs amid the market volatility caused by the conflict.
The company is hoping to raise about $800m (£601m) from the initial public offering (IPO) and is targeting a valuation of $8bn to $9bn, which would make it one of London’s largest listings in recent years.
Airtel Money has 53 million monthly active users across 13 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Uganda, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It operates through a network of branches and kiosks, which enable customers to load money on to their phones, withdraw cash and access other money services, and the company generated revenues of just under $1.4bn in the last financial year.
Airtel Money’s parent company is Airtel Africa, a telecoms provider that is part of the Indian conglomerate Bharti Enterprises, which is ultimately controlled by the billionaire Sunil Bharti Mittal.
Business
Cardoso Says Multiple FX Windows Cost Nigeria 3% of GDP, Higher Than Fuel Subsidy
Before the CBN introduced FX reforms in 2023 to unify exchange rates, Nigeria had different channels through which dollars could be bought and sold. Different rates applied to different users and transactions.
Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Olayemi Cardoso has estimated that Nigeria lost about three per cent of its gross domestic product to multiple foreign exchange windows.
Mr Cardoso spoke in Abuja on Tuesday while answering questions after the 307th meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee.
He put the losses from the fuel subsidy regime at about 2.2 per cent of GDP, meaning the two distortions together cost the country roughly 5.2 per cent of GDP.
The committee cut the benchmark Monetary Policy Rate to 23 per cent from 26.5 per cent, a decision the governor described as an important operational realignment aimed at strengthening monetary policy transmission.
Mr Cardoso compared the cost of the old exchange rate system to the fuel subsidy, which he said was already a staggering amount of money.
The losses that we were making as a result of these multiple exchange rate windows was more. It was 3 per cent of GDP. So between those, you had 5.2 per cent of GDP lost,” he said.
Before the CBN introduced FX reforms in 2023 to unify exchange rates, Nigeria had different channels through which dollars could be bought and sold. Different rates applied to different users and transactions.
Business
Naira To Dollar, Pound , Euro Rate Wednesday September 23
Black Market Rates
₦1382 DOLLAR (USD)
₦1860 POUND (GBP)
₦1555 EURO (EUR)
₦1000 DOLLAR (CAD)
₦70 SOUTH AFRICAN RAND (ZAR)
₦370 UAE DIRHAM (AED)
190 YUAN (CNY)
₦100 G.CEDI (GHS)
₦2250 CFA F.(XOF)
₦2250 CFA F.(XAF)
₦850 AUSSIE (AUD)
CBN Exchange Rate
DOLLAR (USD) ₦1327.78
POUND (GBP) ₦1774.31
EURO (EUR) ₦1521.37
SWISS FRANC (CHF) ₦1619.04
JAPANESE YEN (JPN) ₦8.44
CFA FRANC (XOF) ₦2.33
WEST AFRICAN UNIT OF ACCOUNT (WAUA)₦1814.83
CHINESE YUAN (CNY) ₦198.16
SAUDI RIYAL (SAR) ₦353.57
SOUTH AFRICAN RAND (ZAR) ₦81.82
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