The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun on Sunday denied claims in some quarters that she refused to grant import duty waivers in respect of drugs, health commodities and related equipment donated by the Global Fund.
She said this in a statement signed by the Director of Information in the Ministry, Salisu Dambatta.
In the statement, the Minister said claims by some importers and Non-Governmental Organisations that she denied them waivers for drugs and health commodities imported into the country were untrue.
She said in granting of waivers, the ministry was following all statutory procedures governing the granting of import duty waivers to importers and NGOs.
This, she noted, is part of holistic measures put in place to check abuses of the Federal Government’s fiscal incentives, and to put a halt to rampant corrupt practices in the economic sector.
She gave some of the procedures as submission of an application by the importer and NGO to the Federal Ministry of Finance through the Federal Ministry of Health; evidence of registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission; and submission of an approved Memorandum of Understanding duly signed by the Minister of State, Budget and National Planning between the Donor Agencies, Federal Government of Nigeria and the recipient NGOs.
Others are presentation of a certificate of exemption from tax from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (only for those who engage in non-profit making activities in line with their objectives); submission of a proforma invoice indicating the value of the imported items, bill of laden and if the imported items are donated, the NGOs are required to provide the Federal Ministry of Finance with authenticated letter from the donor agencies.
“The attention of the Federal Ministry of Finance has been drawn to attempts by some importers and NGOs to malign the name of the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, and the ministry over spurious claims of refusing to grant import duty waivers in respect of drugs, health commodities and related equipment donated by the Global Fund.
“The ministry strongly denies that the Minister has refused to grant import duty waivers to some importers and NGOs for drugs and health commodities imported into the country,” the statement said.
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