NLNG Pays $489m In Taxes To FG, States, LGAs

Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) has paid $489.226 million, about N151.6 billion, in various forms of taxes to the Federal, States and Local Governments in 2016. The NLNG stated this in its financial statement for the year ended, December 31, 2016, in a report section titled: Facts and Figures on NLNG 2017.According to the report, the total amount paid as taxes declined by 80.37 per cent or $2.0 billion when compared to total taxes of $2.5 billion, about N772.5 billion, paid to the three tiers of government in 2015. Giving a breakdown of the taxes paid in 2016, the NLNG stated that $323.3 million was paid as Company Income Tax (CIT), compared to $2.2 billion in 2015.It said $31.3 million and $85.23 million were remitted for Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and Withholding Tax respectively, as against $42.8 million and $222.5 million recorded in 2015 respectively. In addition, Value Added Tax, VAT; States and Local Government taxes; and Regulatory fees gulped $24.6 million; $1.028 million; and $23.78 million respectively, compared to 2015 figures of $20.16 million; $2.18 million and $34.41 million respectively.To this end, the report disclosed that from 1999 to 2016, the NLNG had paid a total of $6.587 billion in taxes to the three tiers of government, with Company Income Tax and Withholding tax accounting for 63.5 per cent and 15.65 per cent of the total sum respectively.The NLNG also remitted $672.42 million for VAT; $365.327 million for PAYE; $322.84 million was paid as regulatory fees and levies; while it paid States and local government taxes valued at $9.187 million in the 18-year period.Furthermore, the report stated that international oil companies (IOC), who are shareholders of the NLNG received $380.959 million as dividends from the company in the 2016 fiscal year.The companies are Shell, Total and Eni. The amount represented a decline of 65.9 per cent or $735.58 million when compared to a dividend of $1.117 billion paid to the companies in 2015. Again, the report stated that the three companies have collected total dividends of $16.45 billion over the 18-year period, from 1999 to 2016.
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