The Federal Government has said it is reviewing excise duty rates on wines and spirits.
The review is coming nine months after President Muhammadu Buhari approved incremental tariff increase on alcohol and tobacco products.
According to a Tuesday report in Bloomberg, Paul Abechi, a spokesman for Finance Minister Zainab Ahmed, said in emailed response to questions, without giving a time frame.
The National Union of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE) has hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for suspending the proposed tariff hike on locally produced alcohol and tobacco products.
The union said that the suspension of the initial plan by the Federal Government to increase excise tariff by more than 500% on spirits, wines and tobacco products saved over 165,000 jobs.
The Opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the forthcoming February 16 Presidential election has denounced plans by the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to increase the rate of Value Added Tax (VAT) as well as Excise duty rates on goods and services being used by Nigerians.
The Party and its campaign say such a plan is cruel, anti-people and further exposes President Buhari as uncaring and insensitive to the plight of Nigerians, who are already overburdened and groaning under the economic hardship occasioned by his harsh policies and incompetence in office.
The Senate on Tuesday sought the assistance of the Federal Government to halt the implementation of a new excise duty rate on alcohol and tobacco that came into effect in June until all relevant stakeholders are adequately consulted.
The Upper legislative chamber said a pause would give all stakeholders in the beverage and tobacco industries an opportunity to agree on a consensus rate and implementation approach.
Stakeholders in the alcohol beverage industry on Monday declared their opposition to the recent 500% increase in excise duty rates on alcohol by the Federal Government.
The stakeholders, which includes the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN), and the Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers of Nigeria (AFBTE) expressed their displeasure over the rate hike to a Senate Committee on Finance at a public hearing on the matter.
The Federal Government will review the recent excise duty increase on locally produced alcohol, according to Senator Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour.
In a statement signed by the ministry’s Director of Press, Samuel Olowokere on Friday in Abuja, while receiving members of the National Union of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Joint Employers and Workers Association on a Save Our Soul (SOS) mission, the minister said the Federal Government will review the newly introduced 500% excise duty on locally produced alcohol beverages.
The Federal Ministry of Finance came out on Sunday to defend its newly enacted excise duty rates on alcohol and tobacco, saying that they are not targeted at local manufacturers.
In a statement released by the ministry’s Director of Information, Hassan Dodo, it said that contrary to claims in some quarters, the new excise duty rates, which came into effect from June 4, 2018, were not targeted at local manufacturers.
Alcohol manufacturers in the country are set to raise prices on their goods following the increase in excise duty by the Federal Government on the product which came into effect on Monday June 4, 2018.
According to a report on Friday by the Punch Newspaper, manufacturers said their price increase will take effect immediately and in tandem with the new excise duty regime ushered in by the government.
The Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN) has appealed to the Federal government to suspend the implementation of the new excise duty increase on alcohol and tobacco, warning that its imposition could affect the industry’s fortunes and lead to massive job losses.
The association was speaking on Wednesday at a joint news conference held with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) at their Lagos office to protest the new excise duty increase on wines and spirits. The group vowed to resist what they described as “astronomical hike in the excise duty”, lamenting that it will endanger over 250,000 jobs and put at risk investments worth over ₦420bn.
A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), the Business Renaissance Group (BRG) has dragged the Federal Government to court to prevent it from implementing the new excise duty rate increase on alcohol and tobacco which went into effect earlier on Monday.
The suit was brought to court by Christian Hon, from the Law firm of J-K Gadzama (SAN), on behalf of the group.
BRG had in in May staged a protest at the National Assembly, calling the new excise duty rate increase, ‘Killer Taxes on alcohol and beverages’.
