Nigeria: Indigenous Ship Owners Move Against NiWA Over Double Taxation

THE Nigerian Indigenous Ship owners Association of Nigeria, NISA, has concluded plans to move against the proposed re-registration of vessels by the management of the National Inland Waterways, NIWA , a development they say will lead to double taxation.

Speaking at the end of its quarterly meeting, President of NISA, Captain Niyi Labinjo said that the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, is the only agency empowered by law to register vessels in Nigeria.

Labinjo said that both NIMASA and NIWA cannot register vessels and collect a fee, stressing that it will be too much of a burden for ship owners.

The NISA boss explained that letter emanating from NIWA asking ship owners to begin to make arrangement for the registration of their vessels was tabled at the meeting and members unanimously agreed that it was better to meet NIWA at the National Assembly when the proposed amendment of the NIWA Áct will be legislated upon.

Explaining further, Labinjo said that the group initially wanted a tripartite meeting which will have NISA, NIMASA and NIWA in attendance but thought otherwise. Members of NISA have also said that the issue of vessel registration be expunged from the proposed Act that is currently at the National Assembly waiting to be amended.

“We have received a letter from NIWA few weeks ago, asking us to prepare to come and register our vessels , and when I asked the representatives of NIWA if they were empowered by law to register vessels, he brought out the NIWA document and pointed the portion where their powers comes from. ” Asking us to do this is perfect double taxation, so it will be in order for us to write NIMASA, National Assembly and NIWA about the double taxation” he added.