Gwamcee News
The Nigerian senate has passed the amendment bill of the 2023 Finance Act and increased the windfall levy on banks’ foreign exchange revaluation gains from 50% as proposed by the President to 70%.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Sen. Sani Musa read the report of the Committee on Finance before it was finally passed on Tuesday, Nairametrics reports.
Sen. Sani Musa said, “the levy shall be 70% of the realised profits of all exchange transactions from banks. Any bank that fails to pay the windfall profit levy to the service, and has not executed the deferred payment agreement by 31st December 2024 shall be liable to pay a windfall levy withheld in addition to a fine of 10% of the levy withheld or not remitted per annum and an interest at the prevailing Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) minimum discount rate”
Furthermore, the senate also amended the commencement date of the amended act from 1st January 2023 to the commencement of the new foreign exchange policy after Sen. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal raised objection to the retroactive nature of the amendment.
Members of the red chamber also increased the timeline for the application of the windfall levy from the end of 2023 to all profits from foreign exchange transactions from the beginning of the new forex policy to the 2025 financial year as stipulated in clause 2 of the amendment.
The President of the senate after the clause-by-clause consideration of the bill called on the Majority Leader of the senate, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele to move the motion for the third reading after which it was passed.
The President of the senate said, “Distinguished colleagues, a bill for act to amend the finance act 2023 to impose and charge windfall levy on banks and to provide for the administration of the levy and matters related there to, 2024, third reading taken and passed.”
It is important to note that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) introduced the new foreign exchange policy through the unification of all segments of the foreign exchange market on June 14, 2023.
