Category: Nigeria
Nigeria: FIRS Launches Reporting Portal for Financial Institutions
New Automatic Exchange of Information-Common Reporting Standard (AEOI-CRS) system set for Nigeria. ... - Continue reading
Nigeria: Digital Taxes, Significant Economic Presence And Tax Implications In Nigeria
Living in a digitalised economy, it is no surprise that digital tax remains as one of the most debated topics in the business world. Here's more to it on what concerns Nigeria. ... - Continue reading
Nigeria clarifies new tax on nonresident digital businesses
Now existing in a digital-led world, economies of the world have been seriously contemplating on better methods to tackle digital tax. Nigeria is no exception to the rule. ... - Continue reading
Nigeria: Nigerian Government Issues Amendments To Order On Voluntary Offshore Assets Regularisation Scheme (VOARS)
Nigeria issues an amendment order for the Voluntary Offshore Assets Regularisation Scheme (VOARS). ... - Continue reading
Nigeria: FIRS Extends Deadline For Filing Information Returns Under The AEOI-CRS
The Tax Authority o Nigeria has extended the deadline for CRS and AEOI 2019 reporting. ... - Continue reading
Nigeria: Tax Appeal Tribunal Holds That Tax Exemptions Will Not Be Granted Unless All Conditions Precedent For Its Grant Are Fulfilled
Light on the court case dated 23rd December 2019. ... - Continue reading
Nigeria’s Tax Appeal Tribunal decides Prime Plastichem transfer pricing case
A first transfer pricing case in Nigeria offers a glimpse of the treatment of the latter. ... - Continue reading
Nigeria: How Nigeria’s Common Reporting Standard Regulations Will Affect Banks, Insurance Companies, Asset Managers, And Other Financial Institutions
Details about the Common Reporting Standard in Nigeria ... - Continue reading
Nigeria: 15 Insights On Transfer Pricing In Nigeria
Clarifications on the role of transfer pricing in Nigeria ... - Continue reading
How major tech companies exploit tax laws: A focus on Ghana and Nigeria
When World Trade Organisation (WTO) officials designed the territorial taxing rights back in the 1920s, not many people imagined that a century later; these guidelines would still underpin the international tax system. Today, highly digitalised companies such as Facebook and Google are able to operate internationally from their tax havens,… – Continue reading
Nigeria: FIRS Issues Information Circular On The Claim Of Tax Treaty Benefits In Nigeria
The FIRS has issued a public notice on the claim of treaty benefits in Nigeria. ... - Continue reading
Nigeria: Unprecedented Global Drive For Tax Transparency – The Nigerian Perspective
In the last few years, the international tax space has experienced an unprecedented drive to achieve increased transparency in the tax practices of Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) and individuals in order to curb tax avoidance and evasion. ... - Continue reading
Nigeria: FIRS To Deploy E-Filing Platform For Transfer Pricing Related Returns
In 2017, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) announced the introduction of six (6) new electronic services. ... - Continue reading
Nigeria: Key Considerations On Employment And Remuneration Of Expatriates In Nigeria
The natural resources and the economic opportunities in Nigeria continue to attract foreign direct investments (FDI) by investors across the world. ... - Continue reading
Nigeria: The FIRS Has Published Regulations On Common Reporting Standard
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has issued the Income Tax (Common Reporting Standard) Regulations, 2019 (CRS Regulations). This follows Nigeria's signing of the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters (MAC) and the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) on the Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information, signed by Nigeria on 17 August 2017. ... - Continue reading
Nigeria: Regulatory Authorities’ Approvals And The Application Of Arm’s Length Principle In Nigeria: The Need For Coherence
One of the key objectives of the Income Tax (Transfer Pricing) Regulations, 2018 (NTPR) as captured in regulation 2(e) is to provide taxable persons with certainty of transfer pricing treatment in Nigeria. ... - Continue reading
Nigeria: OECD Declares Mauritius Partial Tax Exemption Regime As Not Harmful
On 19 July 2019, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released its report on harmful tax practices across various jurisdictions. ... - Continue reading
Nigeria: Reviewing The Implications Of The Revised Transfer Pricing Regulations On Intangibles For Businesses
Intangibles are key sources of differentiation for businesses and typically, they help drive revenue, manage cost or both. As a result, many businesses make significant investments in developing, enhancing, maintaining and protecting unique and valuable intangibles to help drive their businesses. ... - Continue reading
Money is fleeing in panic from Russia
Last week, the Bank of Russia has published data on key indicators of the balance of payments for the first four months of the current year. One of them — the balance of financial transactions of the private sector. It was negative and amounted to 34.7 billion dollars. Translated into… – Continue reading
Alleged Tax Evasion: Court renews Jay Jay Okocha’s arrest warrant
A Lagos State prosecutor, Y. A. Pitan, has told an Igbosere High Court in Lagos that former Super Eagles captain, Austin Okocha, has not liquidated the alleged tax debt he owed the state. Mrs Pitan told Justice Adebayo Akintoye on Tuesday that Mr Okocha had visited the Lagos Internal Revenue… – Continue reading
Nigeria Signs Off On Common Reporting Standard With OECD
As we await official communication, information reaching us have it that Nigeria has signed off on the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). As publicly stated on Wikipedia, ‘The Common Reporting Standard (CRS) is an information standard for the Automatic Exchange Of Information… – Continue reading
FIRS Vows to Eliminate Multiple Taxation
Obinna Chima The Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Babatunde Fowler, has restated the agency’s commitment to eliminating multiple taxation in the country. Fowler said this at a tax breakfast seminar with the theme: “Tax Controversy and Dispute Resolution,’ organised by KPMG Nigeria in Lagos, recently. According to… – Continue reading
Tax substitution as double taxation
The power to levy tax in Nigeria, being a federation, is shared between the Federal, State and Local governments. To avoid double taxation, the tax system spells out which government unit (federal, state or local) has the power to levy tax on specific persons and matters. The Federal Inland Revenue… – Continue reading
Joint tax mechanism to enhance trade & investment among BRI countries
A new mechanism aimed at creating a more favorable tax environment for enterprises and countries involved in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been established. Tax officials and experts from dozens of countries and international organizations have gathered in China from April 18 to 20 for the first Belt… – Continue reading
Nigeria: Public Notice On The FIRS’ Income Tax (Transfer Pricing) Regulation 2018
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) recently released the Income Tax (Transfer Pricing) Regulation 2018 (‘the Regulation’). The Regulation took effect from 12th March 2018 and replaces the Income Tax (Transfer Pricing) Regulations, 2012. The Regulation sets out the legal framework for the application of the arm’s length principle to… – Continue reading
Nigeria seeks IMF’s support on tax collection
The Federal Government is seeking assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on modalities for improving tax collection, especially from the International Oil Companies (IOCs), Finance Minister Zainab Ahmed, has said. She told reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing 2018 International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank Group Meetings, in Bali,… – Continue reading
Buhari Signs Executive Order 8 on Offshore Money Laundering
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday in Abuja signed executive order eight, tagged Voluntary Offshore Assets Regularization Scheme (VOARS) to make money laundering and tax evasion difficult. Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement last night, said Executive Order 008, which was… – Continue reading
Buhari Tightens Tax, Money Laundering Rules With New Executive Order
By the order, Nigerian taxpayers who hold offshore assets and incomes are expected to, within a period of 12 months, declare voluntary those assets and pay taxes on them. When they do this, they should expect to derive certain specified benefits. The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has stepped up… – Continue reading
PACAC Explains Why FG Turned Spotlight on Multinationals
The Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption (PACAC) has explained why it is shifting the war against corruption in the country from politically exposed persons to multinationals. According to the Executive Secretary of PACAC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, Africa and indeed Nigeria losses more from Illicit Financial Flows (IFF) perpetrated by multinational… – Continue reading
FIRS Publishes Nigeria’s Revised Transfer Pricing Regulations
Federal Inland Revenue Service has published Nigeria’s revised Transfer Pricing Regulations (NTPR). The NTPR is effective for basis periods commencing after 12 March 2018 and incorporates BEPS outcomes and suggestions from The African Tax Administration Forum. The NTPR includes significant penalties for non-compliance (a) failure to file TP declaration =… – Continue reading
Nigeria Concludes Double Tax Treaties With Ghana, Cameroon
The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) concluded the negotiation of Double Taxation Agreements (the DTAs) with the Republic of Ghana and the Republic of Cameroon on 26 July 2018 and 3 August 2018, respectively. While this is a welcomed development, it is expected that efforts will now be directed towards… – Continue reading
Nigeria-Singapore income tax treaty to take effect Jan. 1
A bilateral double taxation agreement between Nigeria and Singapore generally is to take effect Jan. 1, 2019, although in Singapore, provisions regarding income taxes other than withholding taxes are to take effect Jan. 1, 2020. The treaty, also known as a DTA, is to affect how each country’s income tax… – Continue reading
Nigeria’s Tax Law obsolete, overdue for review —Oruaze Dickson
A legal practitioner cum entrepreneur, Moses Oruaze Dickson, has called for the review of the legislative framework for tax and taxation in the country, describing the existing law as obsolete for a progressive society like Nigeria. According to Dickson, who is also Managing Solicitor, Triax Solicitors, the law is long… – Continue reading
Experts Seek Tax Holiday For Startups
Experts have called on the federal government to do more toward promoting new investments, especially local start-up companies, by offering them tax incentives in order to enable them thrive in the nation’s current business climate. They are unanimous in their opinion that the federal government has not done enough to… – Continue reading
UAE show Nigeria the way to attracting foreign investors
As Nigeria continues to innovate and source strategies to attract foreign investors, making the country an investor destination in sub Saharan Africa and indeed the whole of Africa, the United Arab Emirates’ example is perhaps the way to go. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime… – Continue reading
Double tax compliance to GDP ratio to 50% IMF tells Nigeria
The International Monetary Fund, an arm of the World Bank Group tells Nigeria to double her tax compliance to GDP ratio from 25 per cent to 50 per cent. Amine Mati, head of IMF in Nigeria, said this in Lagos, at the presentation of the IMF Regional Economic Outlook for… – Continue reading
Nigeria, UAE agreement on stolen assets takes off
President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption drive moved a notch higher yesterday. Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s agreement on recovery of assets and cash stashed away in UAE by Nigerians takes off next month. Besides, the collaboration among heads of anti-corruption agencies in Commonwealth (Africa) countries will be stepped up… – Continue reading
14 whistleblowers get N439m reward from FG
The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun has disclosed that the Federal Government paid N439.3 million to fourteen whistleblowers who gave vital information in the recovery of billions of Naira and some millions in hard currency from some corporate tax evaders. While she did not name the offending companies, Adeosun told… – Continue reading
Analysis: The double taxation treaty (DTT), a case of Nigeria and Singapore
President Muhammadu Buhari move to halt tax evasion signs an agreement with Singapore President Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday 26 March 2018, signed the instrument of ratification of agreement with Singapore against double taxation and fiscal evasion. The President’s assent is pursuant to the approval of the double taxation treaty (DTT)… – Continue reading
Buhari signs double taxation agreement with Singapore
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday signed two agreements with two countries following the approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC). The agreements, according to a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Femi Adesina, include the instrument for ratification of agreement between Nigeria and… – Continue reading
FG to Name, Shame, Prosecute Tax Evaders From March 31 ― Adeosun
The Federal Government is ready to prosecute, name and shame tax evaders that fail to utilise the tax amnesty programme, the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS), to regularise their tax profiles, Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, declared on Thursday. She also disclosed that the Federal Government would… – Continue reading
Nigeria, others share data on overseas accounts, property owned by Nigerians
The Federal Government of Nigeria and some foreign countries, including the United Kingdom Government, have commenced the Automatic Exchange of Tax Information (AETI), particularly on overseas assets held by Nigerians. Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, confirmed this on Friday in Abuja during the presentation of Progress Report on Tax… – Continue reading
Nigerians React On Compulsory Tax Initiative
The Federal Government on June 29, 2017 formally launched the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS), an initiative designed to encourage voluntary disclosure of previously undisclosed assets and income for the purpose of payment of all outstanding tax liabilities. As the window of opportunity for declaration draws near, OYENIRAN… – Continue reading
