Finance

RMAFC to Order Probe of Banks Over Stamp Duty

Published

6 years ago

January 25, 2019

RMAFC to Order Probe of Banks Over Stamp Duty

Plans have reached advanced stage for the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission to authorise a forensic investigation of the funds that have so far accrued to the Federal Government through the collection of stamp duty.

An investigation by our correspondent showed that the Federal Government had not been satisfied with what the banks had remitted through the Central Bank of Nigeria but the Nigerian Postal Services clashed with the RMAFC when NIPOST initiated moves to probe the banks.

It was learnt that through government system, however, the differences between the two organisations had been resolved, but NIPOST first had to shelve the plan to appoint auditors to probe the banks until it secured approval from RMAFC, which claimed jurisdiction over the matter.

A source close to the development told our correspondent that RMAFC was in the final the stages of releasing the authorisation to enable the appointment of auditors that would investigate the remittances into the Stamp Duty Account domiciled in the CBN.

The Postmaster General of the Federation, Mr Bisi Adegbuyi, had written to the Governor of the CBN, Mr Godwin Emefiele, on the state of the stamp duty being collected on behalf of the Federal Government.

In the letter, Adegbuyi informed the CBN boss of the decision to carry out a forensic audit to determine how much the banks had deducted from the accounts of their customers in order to compare it with what had been remitted by the banks into the Stamp Duty Account.

Subsequently, NIPOST advertised for forensic auditors that would help it carry out the probe of the banks that had been deducting N50 on every deposit with a value of N1,000 and above since January 2016.

The process was aborted when the RMAFC raised the objection of jurisdiction. However, the two organisations had since been working with the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation in order to make the probe possible.

Our correspondent had reported that in the first year of the operationalisation of the Stamp Duty Act (January to December 2016), a total of N3bn was realised through the collection of stamp duty by the banks while N10bn was realised between January and December 2017.

The fund, however, was grossly lower than the expectation of both the government and the postal authorities. Before the operationalisation of the duty, NIPOST had estimated that proper application and collection would see the government collecting about N475bn per annum from the duty, as a study by a private firm had shown.

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Samed Olukoya

Is the CEO and Founder of Investors King Limited. He is a seasoned foreign exchange research analyst and a published author on Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur.com, Investorplace, and other prominent platforms. With over two decades of experience in global financial markets, Olukoya is well-recognized in the industry.

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Finance

VFD Group Plc Eyes N1.05 Billion Net Profit as Q4 Earnings Forecast Hits N16.12 Billion

Published

17 hours ago

September 11, 2024

Samed Olukoya

VFD Group Plc, an industry-agnostic proprietary investment company with a portfolio of over 40 businesses across various sectors and geographies, has projected to earn N1.05 billion in the fourth quarter of 2024.

This was revealed in a financial projection statement signed by the Director of Finance, John Okonkwo, and Group Managing Director, Nonso Okpala.

According to the statement, gross earnings is projected to hit N16.12 billion in the period ending December 31, 2024.

Investment and similar income is expected to contribute N15.1 billion while investment expenses are projected at N10.42 billion.

This is expected to result in a net investment income of N4.68 billion.

Also, other income sources are expected to bring in N1.02 billion to take the total operating income to N5.7 billion.

However, the company is projected to spend N3.98 billion as operating expenses.

This includes personnel expenses of N1.09 billion, depreciation and amortization costs of N534.82 million and other operating expenses amounting to N2.35 billion.

Net impairment charge of N216.74 million was expected while net operating income is expected to stand at N5.49 billion.

VFD Group estimates its profit before tax will reach N1.51 billion, with an income tax expense of N452.67 million, leaving a profit of N1.05 billion for the period.

The company’s cash flow projections also paint an optimistic picture. Net cash generated from operating activities is expected to be N3.16 billion, while cash used in investing activities is forecasted at N6.4 billion.

On the financing side, the group projects cash generation of N8.81 billion, leading to a net increase in cash and cash equivalents of N5.57 billion.

By the end of Q4, cash reserves are expected to rise to N9.86 billion from N4.28 billion at the beginning of the quarter.

Although these numbers are projections, the forecast indicates VFD Group’s ability to manage its finances effectively in the face of economic uncertainties.

Banking Sector

Zenith Bank Extends Public Offer and Rights Issue by Two Weeks

Published

2 days ago

September 10, 2024

Investors King

Zenith Bank Plc on Monday announced that it has obtained regulatory approval to extend its public offer and rights issue by two weeks.

In a statement released via the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX), the leading financial institution said its offers for both existing shareholders and new investors have been extended to September 23, 2024, from the initial closing date of September 9.

The bank attributed the extension to the nationwide protest that began on August 1, the same day the offers were opened.

Zenith Bank stated that the extension will provide shareholders with more opportunities to take advantage of the rights issue and allow the general public ample time to subscribe to the public offers.

Banking Sector

Unity Bank Projects N27b In Q4 Earnings, Targets N4b Profit

Published

2 days ago

September 10, 2024

Investors King

Unity Bank Plc has projected gross earnings of N27 billion and a Profit After Tax of N4 billion in Q4, 2024, in its latest earnings forecast released to the Nigerian Exchange Group.

Although the projected gross earnings represent a marginal increase from the N26 billion projected for Q3 2024, the lender continues to maintain a profitable outlook, with pre-tax profit expected at N4.2 billion.

An analysis of the earnings forecast shows that the lender also expects interest income to rise from N23 billion to N24.5 billion, with net revenue expected to rise marginally by 1.0% to N7.2 billion within the quarter compared to N6.5 billion in Q3, 2024.

Net operating income is projected at N12 billion, while cash flow from financing activities is projected to rise to N481.4 billion from N353.6 billion, a 1.3% projected increase on a quarter-on-quarter basis. This projected growth in cash flow from financing activities continues to reflect the lender’s growing liquidity position which is essential for sustained business operations.

The lender said it expects to cover the milestones with a consistent optimistic outlook in its projection, barring any significant changes in the operating environment, under which the assumptions were made.

The lender noted that it will continue to deliver top-notch customer-centric products and services, especially in the digital lending space following the roll-out of enhanced platforms and channels for superlative customer experiences.

Analysts are of the view that the Q4 forecast reflects a steady growth trajectory on the back of key performance indicators and strategic repositioning to hedge the challenging market conditions.