N255m Car Scandal: Ministry Denies Granting Waiver

The federal ministry of Finance has denied allegations that it granted waivers for the importation of the N255 million armoured cars allegedly purchased for the embattled minister of aviation

A statement from the ministry signed by Paul Nwabuikwu, Special Adviser to the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance said the ministry only granted waiver to the Lagos state government for its National Sports Festival.
The ministry said it did not grant any exemption for the importation of armoured cars.

According to Paul Nwabuikwu, “reports which claim that the Federal Ministry of Finance granted a waiver to Coscharis Motors Nigeria Ltd for the purchase of armoured cars are totally false and without foundation.”
Rather, he disclosed that “on June 23, 2012, the Lagos State Government applied for Waiver of Destination Inspection Charges and Duty Exemptions for Coscharis Motors Nigeria Ltd, the official Automobile Partner for the National Sports Festival (“EKO 2012”), to purchase 300 vehicles on its behalf for the event. Since the Lagos State Government met the laid down criteria, the waiver was granted.”

He emphasised that “the waiver granted to the Lagos State Government for the event did not include the purchase of armoured vehicles.”

A Deputy Comptroller of Customs in charge of Modern Research and Economic Relations, Manasa Daniel Jatau had disclosed at the House of Representatives public hearing on the scandalous purchase of two armoured vehicles for the minister of aviation for N255 million, that N10,133,505.74 which should have come to the federal government was waived for Coscharis.

In 2012, the Lagos state government was granted waiver by President Goodluck Jonathan on import duty, value added tax, ETLS, CISS and other port charges to import 300 units of BMW, Ford, Land Rover, Range Rover, Lexus, Mercedes, Escalade, Jaguar and buses for use during the 18th National Sports Festival (EKO 2012) to be imported through Messrs Coscharis Motors Nigeria Limited.

KenGali:

Atlast you are back on tax.
Taxes can be shifted forward, backwards and all what not, as long as the right value for the tax is paid.
Tax is money and not an item, so you are twisting the issue. Your Umbrellas and computers do not cut the analogy at all.

We are talking of cars. If Govt. gave you a waiver of specific value on some cars, and you instead paid the taxes before the waiver was granted. There is nothing stopping you from using the waivers to import replacement stock with the waiver, as long as the value of the waiver was not exceeded.

The cars supplied were stocked by Coscharis, before the contract was even concluded. I see someone asking about it above, feeling smart like he raised a difficult question.

A company can claim tax relief granted say on infrastructural item, and use it to satisfy tax on another item which was not relieved, only to the extent of the value of the first. That is when such a relief was not claimed on the initial item. Like i told you earlier, there is no confusion since tax is money and tax waivers have values.

gurnam:

Absolutely....that is criminal intent...

gurnam:

Guy ...stop exposing profound ignorance here...you've done enough of that here all day!

Waiver to pay duty given by the Fed Ministry of Finance exempts coy from paying duties on imported goods that already have a tariff bar.

It's been bastardized in Nigeria because of its indiscriminate use for political patronage...


If you don't know something ...ask questions or keep quiet.

gurnam:

I can see....I am also. Were you at the conference?

aguiyi:

hahahaha, did u see a copy of the waiver? is waiver granted based on d price of a product or the purpose for its importation?

gurnam:

You sound like a Professional colleague...are you? No wonder..

gurnam:

Your head is correct....

The guy you replied clearly understood that there is difference between avoidance and evasion....he just doesn't know the definitions of the two terms..

aguiyi:

tax avoidance and tax evasion are two different things, its the latter that is a crime. stop talking what you dont know

amarilo: make u no get stroke ooh.

amarilo: you story will soon change when Sahara come up with one against chike. Hehehehehehe u wan cry?

amarilo: Hehehehehehe from Oduah must go and be jailed the tune has changed. Soon chike obi of amcon will be the next taarrrgggeeettt( I dey starrrmmmaaarrr nooowwww)