CPPE Raises Concerns Over Imposition Of Excise Duty

The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) has said that the imposition of excise duty on all services will make the business community vulnerable.

The Director of CPPE, Dr Muda Yusuf disclosed this in a statement titled, “Tweaking the 2023 Finance Bill and Options for Unlocking revenues in 2023”.

Yusuf noted that the provision of the bill is too broad, inexact and wide-ranging, adding that there is no jurisdiction around the world where all services are liable to excise duty.

According to the CPPE boss, excise duties are typically specific and selective, and often imposed to disincentivize the consumption or production of particular product groups.

“The current open-ended provision is inimical to investment. It makes the imposition of excise duties arbitrary, indiscriminate and unpredictable. The bill should contain specifics of services to be taxed for better stakeholder engagement,” the CPPE statement said.

It is important to take into account the fact that practically all services are currently liable to Value Added Tax, the statement added.

“The service sector is a very strategic sector in the Nigerian economy, contributing 54 per cent to GDP and currently the largest contributor to government tax revenue. It also accounts for an estimated 53 per cent of employment.

“We are concerned that companies in the service sector are already paying huge taxes in the form of company tax which is currently at 30 per cent, tertiary education tax at 2.5 per cent, NITDA levy at 1 per cent, NASENI levy at 0.25 per cent, Police Trust Fund Levy at 0.005 per cent and withholding tax on profit distribution at 10 per cent.”

Yusuf noted that all the taxes are percentages of company profit and there are numerous taxes and levies imposed by state governments. He added that investors in the sector pay various sums as fees and levies to regulatory agencies.

“High tax burden on businesses is detrimental to investment and job creation and could ultimately undermine revenue generation prospects of the government.

“Revenue drive should rather focus on efficiency, effectiveness and equity as major policy objectives of taxation,” he added.