Business News

Monday, 16 September 2019 05:41

Oil prices soar after attacks on Saudi facilities

Oil prices hit their highest in four months after two attacks on Saudi Arabian facilities on Saturday knocked out more than 5% of global supply. At the start of trading, Brent crude jumped 19% to $71.95 a barrel, while the other major benchmark, West Texas Intermediate, rose 15% to $63.34. Prices eased back slightly after US President Donald Trump authorised the release of US reserves. It could take weeks before the Saudi facilities are fully back on line. State oil giant Saudi Aramco said the attacks cut output by 5.7 million barrels per day. The drone attacks on plants in…

Monday, 16 September 2019 05:38

Nigeria’s biggest tomato facility idle again as farmers shun crop

Nigeria’s biggest tomato plant is counting on the government’s restriction of food imports to sustain operations after going idle again six months after it resumed operations from an almost three-year shut down. When Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, decided to set up the plant, it was with the clear goal of supplanting imports of tomato paste mostly from China but that has suffered setbacks. Currently, the 1,200-ton-a-day tomato-processing factory near the West African nation’s northern city of Kano is closed, unable to get its required feed stock as farmers have switched to other crops at the beginning of the rainy…

Saturday, 14 September 2019 05:36

VAT increased by 50 percent, not 44% – FG

The proposed increase of Value Added Tax (VAT) rate from 5 to 7.5 percent (50 percent increase) by the federal government is subject to review and approval of the National Assembly, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mr Zainab Ahmed, has said. Also, the minister clarified that the increment will be to 7.5 per cent and not 7.2 percent (44% increase) she announced on Wednesday at the end of the meeting of Executive Council of the Federation in Abuja. The minister said in a statement on Friday by her spokesperson, Mr Yunus Abdullahi, that the proposed increase followed the…

Friday, 13 September 2019 05:38

VAT increase will wipe out minimum wage gains - NECA

Moves by Federal Government to increase Value Added Tax (VAT) from five per cent to 7.2 per cent would neutralise benefits of the recently signed national minimum wage of N30,000, Organised Private Sector (OPS) has said. Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), an arm of OPS argued that the proposed increase will further reduce the purchasing power of the citizens, leading to increase in prices of goods and services as well as resulting in upward movement of the inflation rate, and further contraction of the economy. Director-General of NECA, Timothy Olawale, who lamented its negative impact on businesses, stressed that since…

Thursday, 12 September 2019 05:50

FG approves 44 percent increase in VAT

Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved an increase in the Value Added Tax (VAT) payable in Nigeria. Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed announced the approval while briefing journalists after the FEC meeting presided by President Muhammadu Buhari. Ahmed said the VAT was increased from the current 5 per cent to 7.2 per cent, an increase of 44 percent. “We also reported to council and council has agreed that we start the process towards the increase of the VAT rate. “We are proposing and council has agreed to increase the VAT rate from 5 per cent to 7.2 per cent,”…

Thursday, 12 September 2019 05:43

Fowokan takes over leadership of women in taxation

Mrs Titilayo Fowokan takes over leadership of Society of Women in Taxation (SWIT) as the third Chairperson of Lagos state chapter. An investiture was held in her honour in Lagos to mark the commencement of the new executive committee members. Mr Albert Folorunsho, Managing Consultant in Pedabo with over 20 years of professional experience in Taxation insolvency practice and management consultancy, was the guest speaker of Fowokan's investiture. He spoke on “Global Tax Drive: Compliance For Foreign Direct Investment in Nigeria.” In the keynote address, Folorunsho explained that global tax drive had become a necessity because multinational enterprises (MNE) are…

Wednesday, 11 September 2019 05:26

Jack Ma, world’s most flamboyant tech founder and China's richest man, steps down from his $460bn empire

Jack Ma, China's richest man, is stepping down as the chairman of the $460 billion Alibaba Group he founded 20 years ago. The company is now the world's largest e-commerce group. It was founded by Ma and 17 others in a small apartment in 1999. Ma is worth almost $40 billion and his known for his love of extravagant celebrations, including mass employee weddings and music performances. His farewell party is taking place in a 80,000-seat stadium. Ma has picked Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang to take over from him, who will face challenges from the US-China trade war and a…

Tuesday, 10 September 2019 04:45

Zenith Bank’s Aspire music festival debuts in Lagos

Nigeria’s leading financial institution, Zenith Bank Plc, is set to light up the social and entertainment scene this month with the announcement of the Bank’s “Aspire Music Festival. Dubbed as the most anticipated entertainment event of the year, the music festival holds on Saturday, September 21, 2019 by 8.00pm at Harbour Point Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos. The breathtaking festival promises to be a night to remember, as it will feature captivating and thrilling musical performances by some of Nigeria’s biggest artistes including Olamide, Flavour, Phyno, Niniola, Mayorkun and Rema. Aspire Musical Festival, which is a must attend event for…