Economy
FIRS Collects Record-Breaking N10.05trn Tax in 2022
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has announced that it collected over N10 trillion in tax revenue in the year 2022, the highest tax collection ever recorded in its history.
In a statement seen by Business Post, signed by Mr Johannes Oluwatobi Wojuola, Special Assistant to the Executive Chairman, Mr Mohammed Nami, on Monday, it was stated that about N10.05 trillion was collected in the year under review.
A breakdown showed that N4.09 trillion came from oil revenues (41 per cent) and N5.96 trillion from non-oil revenues (59 per cent).
FIRS claimed that this broke the record previously set in 2021 in its FIRS 2022 Performance Update, signed by its Executive Chairman, on Monday, after his briefing with President Muhammadu Buhari.
“The FIRS, in the year 2022, collected a total of N10.1 trillion in both oil (N4.09 trillion) and non-oil (N5.96 trillion) revenues as against a target of N10.44 trillion.
“Companies Income Tax contributed N2.83 trillion; Value Added Tax N2.51 trillion; Electronic Money Transfer Levy N125.67 billion and Earmarked Taxes N353.69 billion,” it stated.
The Performance Update Report further clarified that included in the total revenue sum was the sum of N146.27 billion, which was the total value of certificates issued by the service to private investors and NNPC for road infrastructure under the Road Infrastructure Development Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme created by Executive Order No. 007 of 2019.
The report also stated that the N10.05 trillion is exclusive of tax waived on account of various tax incentives granted under the respective laws, which amounted to N1,805,040,163,008.
Providing perspective to the unprecedented collection, the FIRS noted in the Performance Update that the Mr Nami-led management, upon assumption of office, came up with a four-point focus, namely: administrative and operational restructuring; making the service customer-focused: creating a data-centric institution, and automation of administrative and operational processes.
It further noted that over the period of 2020 to 2022, the management had introduced reforms bordering around these four-point foci, which were producing results.
“The reforms introduced at different times in 2020 are gradually yielding fruits. By the close of 2022, the Service had fully restructured the administration of the service for maximum efficiency and achieved internal cohesion such that all functional units are working in unison towards the achievement of set goals.
“As a result of the conducive environment created for staff, officers of the Service are pulling their weight on the global stage with international recognitions and awards; “The Service had also automated most of the administrative and operational processes. A major leap was the full deployment of the TaxPro Max for end-to-end administration of taxes in June 2021. The module for the automated TCC went live 1st January 2023 while taxpayers had already downloaded over 1,000 TCCs this year without having to visit FIRS office.”
It also noted that the Service had operationalised its data mining and analysis system, thereby allowing for data-backed taxpayer profiling.
Other reforms the service introduced in this period focused on the detoxification of the tax environment by ridding it of mutual mistrust, negative tax morale, and tax evasion through effective taxpayer education, open engagement with stakeholders and improved services.
It noted that it is courtesy of these reforms, framed around the four-focus points, that the Service was able to achieve this collection.
Speaking on the development, Mr Nami stated that this was made possible through “dogged implementation of strategic reforms over the past two years; a renewed commitment by officers of the Service, accompanied with a boosted morale; as well as the innovative deployment of technology for automation of both tax administration and operational processes.
“This collection was possible through collaboration with our stakeholders, from our colleagues at the Executive branch of government to the members of the judiciary, to our brothers and sisters at the National Assembly, as well as the tax advisory committee, professional bodies, unions, and most crucially our taxpayers.”
Speaking on the outlook for 2023, Mr Nami stated that the Service would build on the current reforms, achieve full automation and continue to establish a resilient service that would continue to provide sustainable tax revenue to fund the government.
“We intend to maintain and even improve on the momentum in 2023,” he stated.
“We have peaked, but this is not certainly our peak. In fact, I hope this will be the least sum the service will ever collect going forward.
“Our goal is to identify more areas where we can improve in the delivery and efficiency of our collection and plug loopholes while deploying innovative reforms in data and artificial intelligence.
“Ultimately, we believe that the FIRS can shoulder the responsibility of providing the revenue needed for the governments across the Federation to cater for the needs of the Nigerian people through taxes.
“This is feasible once we get the much-desired support from the three tiers and arms of government, as well as all stakeholders.”
In 2021, the service achieved a record tax collection of N6.405 trillion, over 100 per cent of its collection target for the year, as well as the first time that the Service will cross the six trillion mark.
The cord collection of N10.1 trillion is over 96 per cent of its collection target for the year, and for the first time, the service will cross the ten trillion mark.
This collection represents an over 100 per cent leap from the tax collected by the agency in 2020-the first year of the current management of the organisation.
By Adedapo Adesanya
VFD Group Plc has announced its intention to list its shares on the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) after leaving the NASD Over-the-Counter Securities Exchange, where it has been trading its stocks for the past three years.
This development, according to analysts, is a strategic move that would allow the company to gain access to public equity markets, increase its visibility, and strengthen its financial position.
VFD Group Plc is a leading proprietary investment company with a proven track record of generating attractive returns for its investors through a variety of investment strategies.
The company has a diverse portfolio of investments in various sectors, including banking, technology, media, energy, and real estate. The group has been listed on the NASD OTC Securities Exchange since 2020.
Speaking on this big step, Mr Nonso Okpala, Group Managing Director of VFD Group, stated, “We are excited to take this next step in the evolution of our company.”
“Listing on a major stock exchange will give us access to a larger pool of investors, enhance our profile, and provide superior returns to our investors,” he added.
With the intention of listing on the NGX, the company will delist from the NASD and is subject to regulatory approvals and market conditions.
VFD Group noted that it would provide additional updates as the listing process progresses.
At the close of business on Tuesday, the securities of the organisation closed on the NASD OTC exchange at N244.88 per unit, the same rate they finished in the preceding trading session.
Business Post reports that the NASD was created to provide an avenue for public companies to transition smoothly into the country’s main stock exchange.
However, it has witnessed the movement of firms from the NGX to the NASD, especially due to the very strict regulatory requirements by the former.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange registered a 0.28 per cent drop on Tuesday, June 6, as the duo of Niger Delta Exploration and Production (NDEP) Plc and FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc made losses.
FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc lost N1.26 in value to trade at N69.74 per unit versus N71.00 per unit, as NDEP Plc depreciated by N1.06 to close at N245.15 per unit compared with the previous day’s N246.21 per unit.
The duo suppressed the 1 Kobo price appreciation reported by Acorn Petroleum Plc, closing at 16 Kobo per share compared with the preceding session’s 15 Kobo per share.
This development weakened the market capitalisation of the NASD OTC bourse by N2.78 billion to wrap the day at N1.005 trillion compared with Monday’s N1.008 trillion, as the NASD Unlisted Securities Index (NSI) moved down by 2.00 points to 726.86 points from 728.86 points.
At the market yesterday, the trading value slumped by 75.0 per cent as a total of N35.7 million stocks were transacted in comparison to Tuesday’s N142.9 million worth of securities.
At the close of business, the trading volume slid by 93.9 per cent to 1.4 million units from the previous day’s 22.7 million, as the number of deals carried out during the session decreased by 43.8 per cent to 27 deals from the 48 deals executed in the previous session.
Geo-Fluids Plc remained the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis with a turnover of 832.1 million units valued at N1.3 billion, Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc has transacted 628.3 units worth N49.5 million, while UBN Property Plc has traded 395.9 million units valued at N336.6 million.
On its part, VFD Group Plc remained the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis with 11.0 million units worth N2.5 billion, Geo-Fluids Plc has exchanged 832.1 million units worth N1.3 billion, and FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc has sold 17.5 million units for N1.2 billion.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira showed no signs of regaining strength in the parallel market and the Peer-to-Peer (P2P) segments of the foreign exchange (forex) market, as it further depreciated against the United States Dollar on Tuesday, June 6.
The Nigerian Naira weakened against the Dollar during the session by N2 in the black market to sell for N752/$1 compared with the preceding session’s rate of N750/$1.
In the P2P forex window, the value of the Nigerian currency lost N5 against the greenback to settle at N770/$1, in contrast to the previous day’s value of N775/$1.
However, in the Investors and Exporters (I&E) segment of the FX market, the exchange rate of the Naira to the Dollar remained unchanged at N464.67/$1 on Tuesday.
According to data obtained from FMDQ Securities Exchange, the turnover for the session was $186.02 million, 140.1 per cent or $108.54 higher than the $77.48 million published on Monday.
In the interbank segment, the Naira gained N6.08 against the Pound Sterling to close at N572.68/£1 versus Monday’s N578.76/£1 and against the Euro, while it appreciated by N3.13 to trade at N494.26/€1 versus N497.39/€1.
The cryptocurrency market recorded a recovery movement even as the US Securities Exchange moved to clampdown on major exchanges, Binance and Coinbase.
In an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order filed against Binance on Tuesday, the SEC said it has made this decision to “ensure the safety of customer assets.”
The filing also claims that Binance has engaged in “violative conduct” for years in “disregard of the laws of the United States, evasion of regulatory oversight, and open questions about various financial transfers and the custody and control of Customer Assets.”
Also, the SEC filed a lawsuit against Coinbase, alleging that the US crypto exchange has been selling unregistered securities.
The markets had initially reacted in a panicked fashion, with the crypto market tumbling but making a reversal as investors weighed the development.
Bitcoin (BTC) jumped by 4.5 per cent to $26,925.04, Ethereum (ETH) grew by 3.5 per cent to $1,880.47, Dogecoin (DOGE) rose by 4.7 per cent to $0.0697, Ripple (XRP) expanded by 3.9 per cent to $0.5303, and Litecoin (LTC) improved by 3.5 per cent to $90.63.
Further, Solana (SOL) appreciated by 1.2 per cent to $20.20, Binance Coin (BNB) recorded a 0.5 per cent growth to trade at $279.07, while Cardano (ADA) declined by 1.4 per cent to $0.3466, as Binance USD (BUSD) and the US Dollar Tether (USDT) retained parity at $1.00 apiece.
