The Federal Government has said it will soon harmonise taxes paid by jetty operators in a bid to tackle incidents of double taxation and promote ease of doing business in the country.
The Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo, disclosed this in Abuja in a meeting with the technical sub-committee of the Presidential Standing Committee on Private Jetties (PSCPJ), led by its Chairman, Joseph Ororo.
He noted that operators are more often made to pay multiple registration fees by different regulatory agencies such as the National Inland Waterways (NIWA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
Speaking on the subcommittee’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.
Earlier, the Chairman of, the Technical Sub-Committee on Private jetties, informed that the committee was created in 2004 to checkmate security breaches, economic sabotage, gun-running and other criminal activities which were traced to private jetties.
