Retain SSB Tax In 2024 Fiscal Policy, CSOs Tell FG

The national SSB Tax coalition, Gatefield Nigeria, National Action on Sugar Reduction, One Campaign amongst other Civil Society Organisations, have tasked the Federal Government to retain the SSB tax in the 2024 fiscal policy. According to the coalition, it will ensure the purpose of the policy is achieved as well as ensure that the government benefits from its implementation.  The CSOs, who made the call at a meeting which also had in attendance representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Ministry of Education, National Orientation Agency and others also called for the establishment of an inter-agency Adhoc committee on SSB Tax that would harmonise the views of all stakeholders. The recommendation was made in a communique at the just concluded National conference on Sugar Sweetened Beverages (SSB) Tax orgainsed by Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare Wednesday in Abuja, further called on relevant stakeholders, including traditional and religious institutions, educational institutions, civil society organizations, the media, and healthcare professionals to actively engage in other to curb the SSB menace.  According to them, “the proceeds from the SSB tax should be earmarked to the health sector to support and strengthen public health systems in Nigeria.  “Stakeholders must commit to engaging central budget agencies to improve public healthcare and influence increased allocation to the healthcare sector.  “Need for the establishment of a monitoring, evaluation, and accountability framework to track the implementation and impact of the current SSB tax policy. This must be reviewed periodically.  “Need for complementary regulatory instruments like Front-of-Pack Labeling, restricting availability and marketing of SSBs in school environments among others to offer consumers more information about products.  “State authorities must strive to bring Nigerians into its social health insurance scheme to achieve universal healthcare coverage and the Federal Government and regulatory authorities must design and enforce penalties for companies that default on SSB tax obligations.”

FEC Approves Creation Of $5bn Humanitarian, Poverty Alleviation Trust Fund

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the establishment of the Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Trust Fund to raise 5 billion dollars annually. The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, disclosed this while briefing State House Correspondents on the outcome of the FEC meeting, held on Monday, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Edu said: “Every year we hope to be able to raise at least 5 billion dollars within this fund and this is from the various fund and sources. “We are hopeful that with the creation of this funding, we can sit down with all the key stakeholders including other ministries and actually work out the full modalities of implementation in Nigeria”. The minister expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for the approval for the creation of the Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Trust Fund. “The council approved for the establishment of the Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Trust fund to actually be put together under a governing board. “And then of course, the implementation of that humanitarian and poverty trust fund, would be carefully worked out by members of the committee. “Of course, it will involve the Minister of Finance and other ministers that are relevant to the process. This is a flexible form of financing that is supposed to help Nigeria adequately respond to humanitarian crisis. “This will also respond to challenges as well as adequately address the issue of poverty in Nigeria and bring victory for the poor and indeed, bring help and succor which the Renewed Hope Agenda stands for,” she said. Edu further said that the fund was a flexible form of financing that could help the government get contributions from different sectors. She added that the fund would get contributions from the government, private sector, development partners, philanthropic individuals and other innovative form of funding. “This is to allow for emergency response to humanitarian crisis in Nigeria. Every other day we hear about crisis, the flood and the rest of it. So, we need to be able to respond adequately as a country. “Beyond this, the issue of poverty reduction is one of the agenda of the President Bola Tinubu in his eight-point agenda and we have to tackle it headlong,” she said The minister also revealed that the FEC has ratified the protocol on the protection of the rights of older persons in the country. “The Federal Executive Council, where the chairman of Council and members of council took decisions to ratify the protocol on the protection of the rights of older persons in Nigeria. “We have signed up to the African Charter and this has made us one of the countries within Africa that has approved that older people be protected and should not be discriminated against at any level. “And this gives them a lot of protection and the government of President Bola Tinubu is interested in their welfare and protecting their rights,” the minister said.