" ITREALMS: FG outlines 10-point fiscal roadmap to revive economy

Sunday, December 11, 2016

FG outlines 10-point fiscal roadmap to revive economy

The Federal Government has outlined a 10-point fiscal roadmap to revive the Nigerian economy on the path of growth, reports ITRealms.

The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who as represented by the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, gave these indications at the annual dinner of the Lagos Business School (LBS),

Osinbajo, itemised fiscal policies and actions being rolled out to tackle the key barriers to growth, at the session which was attended by industry leaders across key sectors of the economy including oil, banking and telecoms, Adeosun said “The Federal Government’s Fiscal Roadmap is addressing barriers to growth that will drive productivity, generate jobs and broaden wealth creating opportunities to achieve inclusive growth”.

He said that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is determined to convert Nigeria to a productive economy rather than one that is consumption driven. To do so, Government would tackle the infrastructure deficit to unlock productivity, improve business competitiveness and create employment.

Also, he said that Government would actively partner with the private sector to achieve this by use of a number of new funding platforms. These include the Road Trust Fund, which will develop potentially tollable roads, and the Family Homes Fund which is an ongoing PPP initiative for funding of affordable housing.

Giving details on a revision to the Tax provision that allows companies to receive tax relief for investment in roads on a collective basis, Osinbajo explained that the existing provision that enabled companies to claim relief for road projects had only been taken advantage of by two companies, Lafarge and Dangote Cement.

“This was because few companies were large enough to fund roads alone. The revision would now allow collective tax relief such that companies will be able to jointly fund roads, subject to approval by FIRS and the Ministry of Works, and share the tax credit. This would be particularly attractive to firms in clusters such as industrial estates, many of which are plagued by poor road conditions,” the VP said.

He emphasised the role of infrastructure in creating inclusive growth, explaining the current barriers to growth in agriculture, solid minerals and manufacturing, stressing that the drivers of inflation were structural and were being addressed through the focus on power, rail and road infrastructure.

The VP also outlined measures planned to deal with the problem of hidden liabilities, which were affecting the banking sector and efforts to revive the economy, explaining that the conversion from cash accounting to IPSAS (International Public Sector Accounting Standards) had unveiled unrecorded debts owed to contractors, oil marketers, exporters, electricity distribution companies and others. These liabilities were estimated at N2.2 Trillion and would be addressed with a 10 year Promissory Note Issuance programme in conjunction with the Central Bank of Nigeria. This measure would be subject to a rigorous audit process of all claims to ensure validity and mitigate against fraud and the impact of past corrupt practices.

Henceforth, the Osinbajo pointed out that measures would be put in place to prevent recurrence of such a problem by ensuring that contracts are managed in a manner that firms have assurance over when they would be paid.

He cited the fact that many contractors were owed as a reason that many of those recently paid by Government were slow in remobilising to site: “Some contractors had not been paid in the past 4 years and in some cases the banks they were owing refused them access to the funds released, causing delays”.

He explained further that those receiving the Promissory Notes would be expected to provide a material discount to government. The issuance was a solution to a long term problem that was ‘a drag on economic activity’.

Osinbajo further remarked that, despite the current economic challenges facing the Nigerian economy, the outlook is positive due to the strong fundamentals of Nigeria and the ongoing reform programme.

Osinbajo reiterated that Government is determined to create an enabling environment and put in place supportive policies to return to growth in 2017 including greater alignment of monetary and fiscal policies.

Below is detailed in the fiscal roadmap 10-point plan:

Fiscal Roadmap 2017

Fiscal Policy Initiative 
Expected Impact 
1.
Recognise inherited debt profile after a robust audit process:
§  Introduce promissory note program to finance verified liabilities
§  Issue debt certificates to contractors, Ministries, Departments & Agencies (MDAs), and State Governments
§  Improve cash flow of businesses
§  Improve Banks’ Non-Performing Loans
(NPLs)
§  Free up Banks’ balance sheet for lending to private sector
§  Improve Government’s business interaction with the private sector

2.
Mobilise private capital to complement Government spending on infrastructure:
§  Roads Trust Fund
§  Family Homes Fund
§  Extend infrastructure tax relief to a collective model to attract clusters of corporate entities

§  Expand the provision of infrastructure
§  Drive growth of non-oil sector.
§  Drive economic growth
3.
Strengthen fiscal/monetary handshake:
§  Replace administrative measures on list of 41-items with fiscal measures to reduce demand pressure in parallel market
§  Encourage domestic food production through specific incentives e.g. accelerated depreciation on food manufacturing equipment and Zero (0%) duty on green houses
§  Planned revitalisation of refineries
§  Increase Diaspora remittances via participation in the buyer support scheme for the Family Homes Fund

§  Reduce demand for US Dollars
§  Increase supply of US Dollars

4.
Incentivise exports:
§  Restructure the Export Expansion Grant (EEG) to a tax credit system
§  Rationalise tariffs and waivers in key export sectors

§  Encourage/incentivise non-oil exports
§  Drive import substitution
5.
Encourage investment in specific sectors through fiscal incentives:
§  Accelerated depreciation on equipment in strategic sectors e.g. food processing, mining and power
§  Rationalise tariffs and waivers in priority sectors


§  Drive investment in strategic sectors

6.
Continue expansion of fiscal space through revenue  enhancement and cost consolidation:
§  Customs Single Window (being implemented through a Private Public Partnership (PPP) scheme)
§  Template for non-allowable expenses for Government Agencies.
§  Overhead cost control by the Efficiency Unit
§  Continuous risk based audit by the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit

§  Revenue enhancement
§  Cost containment
7.
Improve fiscal discipline at Sub-National level:
§  Extension of efficiency unit at Sub-National level
§  Fast track municipal bond issues to deepen the bond market
§  Conversion to International Public Sector Accounting Standards by all State Governments.

§  Improved fiscal position at Sub-National level

8.
Enable and accelerate Recoveries process:
§  Whistle-blower scheme
§  Centralised database on recovered assets
§  Asset tracing
§  Professional management of recovered assets

§  Increased efficiency of Recoveries process
§  Increased budgetary funding availability from Recoveries

9.
Rebalance debt portfolio to extend maturity and optimise debt service cost:
§  Rebalance public debt portfolio with increased external borrowing (60:40 target)
§  Extend maturity profile of public debt portfolio
§  Deploy long-term debt instruments including Infrastructure and Retail Bonds
§  Maximise use of concessionary loans

§  Rebalanced debt profile with improved debt service to revenue ratio
10.
Catalyse Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) growth           through specific measures to improve capacity and access to finance:
§  Development Bank of Nigeria (US$1.3bn)
§  Increase share of business awarded to MSMEs from Government contracts
§  Tax harmonisation and tax incentives
§  Accelerated depreciation

§  Acceleration of MSME growth



Oye Midele/GEE
ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Dear Influential Individual, We are delighted that your life’s journey has led you to discover our organization. Maybe you have met one of our members in the flesh. Or perhaps not; we value anonymity. We see and know all just as a shepherd sees and knows all of the flock, our eyes peering over the masses to identify any threat. We are the bringers of new dawns, the guardians of the human species. We are the Pyramid, the Eye, the Light, the Eternal. We are the Illuminati. The Illuminati is a collective of prominent figures throughout the world who have united to guard the human species from extinction. Our members bear the burden of a planet’s leadership with the lives of 7 billion in their hands. As the human continues to rise above its other animal counterparts, governing of the planet has turned into a daunting task. In return for their loyalty, our ranking members are presented the opportunity for lives of limitless wealth and opportunity. Once a member, the requirements are unimposing and often spaced between many years. Our requests are simple and therefore may be hard to comprehend, but disloyalty is not tolerated. You must understand this before applying. Members must fulfill their oaths to the Illuminati under every circumstance and recognize that they are merely one part of a much larger Universal Design. For centuries, our organization has separated individuals of outstanding political, financial, or cultural influence from the flock, and established them as shepherds of the human species. Perhaps you have already proven yourself in these fields. For that, the Illuminati officially congratulates you. Your dedication gives hope to us for the future of the human species. If you would like to continue to become a member kindly contact the following for more information-
Call, +2348115531558
email- oyeyetemple@gmail.com

Featured post @ITREALMS

Five tips for small business owners online - ITREALMS

Sponsored@ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news! Entrepreneurs can benefit from new ideas on ways to address a particular i...