Encomium
BILLIONAIRES jet owners and non-scheduled airline operators in Nigeria have won the battle against Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), over enforcement of luxury tax as the Senate Committee on Aviation stepped into the crisis and ordered them to suspend the recent charges.
Information available to ENCOMIUM Weekly revealed that on Monday, November 25, 2013, the Senate Committee on Aviation asked the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), to suspend the recent charges imposed on local and foreign registered private jet operators on non-scheduled flights in Nigeria.
According to our source, the committee chairman, Senator Hope Uzodinma stepped into the fracas, and during the meeting with NAMA management and jet owners in Abuja on Monday, November 25, 2013, he gave the directions that the tax should be suspended.
He stated categorically that the agency should make wide consultations with the private jet operators towards adopting an acceptable levy.
We gathered that the peace parley became necessary over the move made by the jet owners after they dragged the agency to court over the luxury tax.
It was reported that they assembled a strong team of lawyers to defend their right against the imposition of luxury tax on private and chartered plane operators.
The spokesperson for the group, Mohammed Tukur on Tuesday, November 19, 2013, claimed that they were seeking an injunction restraining the NCAA or any other agency from collecting the illegal and outrageous fees.
NCAA in two circulars dated September 22, 2013, had informed them that, “In compliance with the provisions of Section 30(2)(9) and (S) of the Civil Aviation Act of 2006, all foreign registered aircraft engaging in non-scheduled operations, shall from now on pay $4,000 as fees under the provisions of the law. The fees shall be paid in advance and prior to any departure.”
-FEMI OYEWALE
