E-Business
FG Rakes in 8Bn from Banks’ IT Levies
Eleven Nigerian banks paid about N8.08bn Information Technology-related levies to the government in 2019, the audited financial reports of the banks have shown.
Punch reported that the analyses of the financial reports indicated that this is a reduction of N381.12m over the N8.46bn IT levy the 11 banks paid to the government in the corresponding period in 2018.
The National Information and Technology Development Agency (NITDA) had established a Fund to which companies and enterprises with an annual turnover of N100m or more are mandated to contribute one per cent of their profits before tax to.
Companies liable to pay the levy as stated in the NITDA Act are GSM service providers and all telecommunications companies; cyber companies and Internet providers; pension managers and pension-related companies; banks and other financial institutions; and insurance companies.
Some of the banks, whose annual reports were assessed are Zenith Bank Plc, First City Monument Bank, Access Bank Plc, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, United Bank for Africa Plc, Sterling Bank Plc and First Bank of Nigeria Limited.
Others are Jaiz Bank Plc, Union Bank Plc, Wema Bank Plc and Fidelity Bank Plc.
Zenith Bank paid the highest IT levy out of all the banks in 2019, reporting N2.41bn, a 17 per cent increase from N2.06bn remitted in 2018.
GTB ranked second, reporting N2bn IT levy remittance to the government in 2019, a five per cent increase compared with N1.90bn paid within the same period of 2018.
Having paid N1.02bn to the coffers of the government, UBA reported a 52 per cent reduction in its IT levy remittance in 2019 as against N2.31bn paid in 2018.
IT tax expenses reported by First Bank rose by three per cent from N774m in the 2018 to N795m in 2019.
As contained in its annual report, Access Bank’s IT levy remittance to the Nigerian government in 2019 was N831.69m, an increase of 10 per cent over N752.43m made in 2018.
Fidelity Bank’s IT levy remittance for 2019 improved by 21 per cent to N304m as against N251m in 2018.
FCMB’s IT tax levy paid to the Nigerian government increased by 66 per cent from N120.46m reported in 2018 to N200.18m in 2019.
For Jaiz Bank, the IT levy paid increased by 286 per cent from N5.44m in 2018 to N21.01m in 2019.
With N102m reported in 2019, Sterling Bank’s IT levy paid to the government increased by four per cent from the N98m reported in 2018.
Wema Bank remitted N67.71m from its income to the government in 2019, compared to N56.05m it paid in 2018, recording 21 per cent growth in IT levy remittance.
Details of Union Bank’s annual report indicated that the bank paid N245m as IT levy to the government in 2019, recording 81 per cent increase as against N135m in 2018.
According to NITDA Act 2007, companies eligible to pay the one per cent levy are assessed and issued a demand notice by the Federal Inland Revenue Service.
The Senate has passed a bill, seeking to repeal and re-enact the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act.
This followed adoption of report of Committee on National Identity Card and Population at plenary on Wednesday.
The report was presented by Senator Victor Umeh (LP-Anambra), chairman of the committee.
Senator Umeh in his presentation said the bill sought to provide for the establishment of a national identity database and the National Identity Management Commission.
According to him,the agency will be charged with responsibilities for maintenance of national database, the registration of individuals and the issuance of identity credentials.
He said the bill would lead to the creation of national identity database to source business biometric and empower NIMC to issue regulations and guidelines for implementation of the act and other related matters.
He said the bill sought to strengthen the legal framework of national and digital identity, hereby creating an optimal foundational identification ecosystem that fosters inclusion, universal coverage, and accessibility.
Senator Umeh said the act would establish a harmonious foundational identity system that is governed by a less restrictive, less cumbersome, non-discriminatory, non-punitive data protection, cost-effective, and compliance with global borders.
Senator Umeh said the bill, when passed into law, would address the challenges and limitations of national Identity management commission Act 2007, repeal it, and then close the gap of incomplete and inaccurate national identity database, provide efficient governance and service delivery.
He said the bill received overwhelming support from stakeholders at the public hearing due to the need to implement the long-awaited database system.
The World Bank has expressed concern over Nigeria’s poor statistical performance, noting that the country lags behind its aspirational peers such as Mexico, Colombia, South Africa and Brazil.
Mrs. Julie Osagie-Jacobs, director, Information and Public Relations, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, stated this in a statement after a courtesy visit to Senator Abubakar Bagudu, minister of Budget and Economic Planning, by a delegation from the World Bank led by Ndiame Diop, country director; and Mr Johan Mistiaen, practice mfor West and Central Africa, on Wednesday.
In his presentation titled “Next Level Statistics to Support Nigeria’s Reform and Growth Agenda,” Mistiaen stated that Nigeria’s statistical system was not on par with those of its developmental counterparts.
He advised that an annual investment of between $10m and $15m in the country’s statistical infrastructure would significantly improve performance and align Nigeria with its peers.
The statement read in part, “Earlier, Mr. Johan Mistiaen in his presentation on the next level statistics to support Nigeria’s reform and growth agenda, observed that the country’s statistical performance was not at par with its aspirational peers as Mexico, Colombia, South Africa and Brazil.
“He suggested that investing about $10-15m annually into the country’s statistical system can raise performance to that of its aspirational peers.”
Responding, Bagudu assured that the Federal Government would continue to guarantee the independence of the National Bureau of Statistics.
He commended the Bureau for consistently releasing credible and methodical data that have been relied upon by reputable international organisations.
The minister stressed that there would be no government interference in the operations of the NBS.
Federal government has disclosed that efforts are ongoing to link the National Social Register (NSR) to the National Identity Numbers (NIN).
Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, explained that the linked data would assist the country to anticipate crises, mobilize resources faster, and ensure aid reaches those who need it the most.
He said harnessing data would save the country and relevant stakeholders the stress and bottlenecks of outdated processes.
He also identified bureaucratic crisis as the biggest crisis in the humanitarian space which stalls responses to humanitarian issues.
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday at the National Humanitarian Roundtable programme, the minister said: “People are traumatized by climate change, security threats and economic shock across the country and in the midst of these, we have limited funding.
“The biggest crisis we have is not just the people being killed, the crisis we have is a bureaucratic crisis that does not respond to a humanitarian crisis. Every delay in decision making, every inefficiency in coordination, every shortfall in funding, costs the life of people.
“They say knowledge is power, but knowledge can be destructive too. It can only be power if we use it effectively. By leveraging data and technology, we can anticipate crises; we can mobilize resources faster and ensure aid reaches those who are in need the most and without the bottleneck of outdated processes.
“We are linking the social register to national identity numbers and geotagging all homes of those who are vulnerable across the country so that if there’s any crisis, we don’t need to begin to walk around communities and taking names and asking the States Emergency Management Agency and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for data.
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