In order to combat double taxation and encourage ease of doing business in the nation, the Federal Government has announced that it will shortly standardize taxes paid by jetty operators.
In Abuja, during a meeting with the technical subcommittee of the Presidential Standing Committee on Private Jetties (PSCPJ), which is chaired by Joseph Ororo, the minister of transportation, Mu’azu Sambo, revealed this.
He pointed out that several regulatory organizations like the National Inland Waterways (NIWA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency more frequently require companies to pay multiple registration fees (NIMASA).
Speaking about the subcommittee’s charge to license jetties and shut down illegal platforms, the Minister praised their accomplishments while advising that their inspections should not be limited to timelines but should also include ad hoc visits to jetties to ensure adherence to current laws and regulations.
The Technical Sub-Committee on Private Jetties was established in 2004 to stop security breaches, economic sabotage, gun running, and other criminal activities that were linked to private jetties, according to the committee’s chairman.
He claims that the subcommittee is the expert branch of the Presidential Standing Committee on Private Jetties (PSCPJ), and he adds that before the PSCPJ was established, a mandate to close all private jetties nationwide because of their pervasive illegalities was issued.
Ororo went on to say that the subcommittee’s mandate was as follows: “To re-open all jetties deemed vital to the economy of the country as well as to examine all the remaining closed jetties and recommend those to be retained and those to remain permanently closed”.
Others include: “The PSCPJ meets from time to time to consider applications for operating licence for jetties and recommend those to be issued new licences by the Minister of Transportation.”
“The Minister of Transportation should continue to issue licenses for the operation of jetties on the recommendation of the Standing Committee, prepare and present a note to Federal Executive Council (FEC) on the activities of the Standing Committee for its information and to keep the President fully informed on the work of the Standing Committee.”
Ororo stated that the subcommittee’s efforts had made a significant contribution to enhanced revenue production for the Federal Government and the various regulatory bodies, as well as to a high degree of safety at the corresponding private jetties.
He also noted that another outcome of the committee’s efforts was that multinational corporations no longer use jetty facilities that do not have current license obligations.
He further noted that as a result of CSR initiatives and job opportunities created for them and, indirectly, Nigerians, there is a better interaction between the businesses and the host communities.
