Multiple taxes paid to regulatory agencies by jetty operators in the Nigerian maritime sector will soon be phases out as the federal government said plans are at an advanced stage to harmonize taxes paid by jetty operators in order to eliminate double taxation and promote the administration’s Ease of Doing Business policy.
Minister of Transportation, Engr. Mu’azu Jaji Sambo made the disclosure at a meeting with the Technical Sub-Committee of the Presidential Standing Committee on Private Jetties (PSCPJ) in Abuja.
Speaking on the committee’s mandate of licensing jetties and closure of illegal platforms, the Minister appreciated their exploits while advising that their inspections should not be restricted to timelines but should include unscheduled visits to jetties to ensure compliance with extant laws and regulations.
Chairman of the committee, Engr. Joseph Ororo, noted that operators are more often made to pay multiple registration fees by different regulatory agencies such as the National Inland Waterways and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency.
Ororo said the committee was created in 2004, to checkmate security breaches, economic sabotage, gun-running and other criminal activities which were traced to private jetties.
According to him, the Technical Sub-Committee is the expert arm of the Presidential Standing Committee on Private Jetties (PSCPJ), adding that prior to the constitution of the Standing Committee, there was a directive shutting down all private jetties across the country due to the intractable illegalities associated with them.
The committee Chairman disclosed that the work of the Sub-Committee has contributed immensely to increased revenue generation for the various regulatory agencies and the federal government as well as bringing about a high level of safety at the respective private jetties.
Similarly, he pointed out that other derivatives from the work of the Committee is that multi-national companies no longer engage jetty facilities if such does not possess valid license duty.
He also observed that there is an improved relationship between the companies and their host communities due to Corporate Social Responsibility Projects and job creation made available to them and Nigerians by extension.
