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South Africa President, Zuma signs 10 bills into law.
PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma of South Africa on Wednesday, 11 January 2017, signed the following ten (10) Bills into law.
Taxation Laws Amendment Act:
The main purpose of the Bill is to amend certain provisions of various Acts related to the Taxations Laws Amendment Act including, amongst others, Transfer Duty Act, 1949; Estate Duty Act, 1955; Customs and Excise Act, 1964; Value-Added Tax Act, 1991; Skills Development Levies Act, 1999, Unemployment Contributions Act, 2002; Securities Transfer Tax Act, 2007; Mineral and Petroleum Resources Royalty Act, 2008; Employment Tax Incentive Act, 2013 as well as Taxation Laws Amendment Acts, 2013, 2014 and 2015.
The Bill seeks to amend these laws in order to bring them in line with the new Taxation Laws Amendment Act.
Finance Act, 2016 :
The Finance Act, 2016 (Act No.7 of 2016) seeks to provide provisions for the approval of unauthorised expenditure, recovery of unauthorised expenditure and provide for matters connected therewith.
Rates and Monetary Amounts and Amendment of Revenue Laws (Administration) Act, 2016:
The Act aims to provide for administrative matters in respect of additional relief under the voluntary disclosure programme and to provide for matters connected therewith.
Rates and Monetary Amounts and Amendment of Revenue Laws Act, 2016:
The Act aims to fix the rates of normal tax; to amend the Transfer Duty Act, 1949, so as to amend the rates of transfer duty and monetary threshold; to amend the Income Tax Act, 1962, so to amend rates of tax and monetary amounts as well as to amend Customs and Excise Act, 1964, so as to amend rates of duty in Schedule 1 to that Act.
The Act further seeks to provide for additional relief under the voluntary disclosure programme and to provide for matters connected therewith.
Tax Administration Laws Amendment Act, 2016:
The main purpose of the Bill is to amend Income Tax Act, 1962, to provide for delegation of power to disclose certain information and to remove an obligation to submit a return for a dividend derived from a tax free investment, amongst others. The Bill further seeks to amend Customs and Excise Act, 1964, so as to narrow the scope of provisions relating to Special Economic Zones and to align terminology with terminology used in the Special Economic Zones Act, 2014.
The Bill also seeks to amend certain provisions of Value-Added Tax Act, 1991; Mineral and Petroleum Resources Royalty (Administration) Act, 2008 as well as Tax Administration Act, 2011.
Adjustments Appropriation Act, 2016:
The Bill seeks to effect adjustments to the appropriation of money from the National Revenue Fund for the requirements if the State in respect of the 2016/17 financial year and to provide for matters incidental thereto.
Unemployment Insurance Amendment Act, 2016:
The main purpose of the Bill is to amend the Unemployment Insurance Act, 2001, so as to provide for the extension of the unemployment insurance benefits to learners who are undergoing learnership training and civil servants and also, amongst other things, to adjust the accrual rate of contributor’s entitlement to unemployment insurance benefits and to provide for the process of application for maternity benefits.
The Bill further seek to empower the Unemployment Insurance Board to provide its constitution for the functions of regional appeals committees and to amend Scheduled 2 to the Unemployment Insurance Act, 2001, so as to provide for adjustment of the Income Replacement Rate and to provide matters connected therewith.
Children’s Amendment Act, 2016:
The Bill seek to amend the Children’s Act, 2005, so as to insert certain definitions and to provide, amongst other things, that a person convicted of certain offences be deemed unsuitable to work with children and to afford a child offender an opportunity to make representations as to why a finding of unsuitability to work with children should not be made.
Children’s Second Amendment Act, 2016:
The Bill seek to amend the Children’s Act, 2005, so as to insert certain definitions and to provide, amongst other things, that the removal of a child temporary safe care without a court order be placed before the children’s court for review before the expiry date of the next court day. The Bill further seek to provide that an application for a child to remain in alternative care beyond the age of 18 years, must be submitted before end if the year in which the relevant child reaches the age of 18 years and to provide for matters connected therewith.
Performing Animals Protection Amendment Act, 2016:
The Bill seek to amend the Performing Animals Protection Act, 1935 and to provide for a procedure for the application for a license to exhibit and train performing animals or use of animals for safeguarding as well as to provide for the issuance of license and for an appeals process and to provide for matters connected therewith.
President Zuma is confident that these new amended laws will enhance government service delivery programmes and also improve the good work that has been done by departments and institutions who are custodians of these laws.
The headquarters of Heritage Bank at Victoria Island, Lagos, was besieged on Thursday by members of the labour union, protesting the recent dismissal of 1,000 support workers.
The National President of the National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees, Comrade Anthony Abakpa, led the demonstration, condemning the bank’s management for what he deemed a lack of adherence to due process in the termination of employment contracts.
Speaking during the protest, Comrade Abakpa asserted that the leadership of Heritage Bank failed to follow established protocols before executing the mass layoffs.
He emphasised the union’s commitment to pursuing justice for the affected workers, vowing to escalate their demands until the bank’s management rectifies the situation.
“We will intensify our demands for justice,” declared Comrade Abakpa, urging the bank’s management to take corrective action to address the grievances of the dismissed workers.
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, clarified that Nigeria is not utilising its foreign reserves to bolster the naira, despite recent fluctuations in reserve levels.
Speaking from Washington DC, where he is attending the International Monetary Fund-World Bank Spring Meetings, Cardoso highlighted the influx of $600 million into Nigeria’s reserves account within the past two days.
While the naira has experienced a notable appreciation against the dollar in recent weeks, climbing over 40% from approximately N1,900/$ to about N1,000/$1, Nigeria’s foreign reserves have been dwindling. As of April 15, reserves dropped to approximately $32.29 billion, marking the lowest level in over six years.
Cardoso emphasised that the shifts in reserves are typical for any country, where various financial obligations, such as debt repayments, necessitate withdrawals.
He stated, “What you’ve seen with respect to the shift in our reserves is normal in any country’s reserves where, for example, debts are due and certain payments need to be made. They are made because that is also part of keeping your credibility.”
Continuing, Cardoso underscored the dynamic nature of the market, advocating for a system driven by willing buyers, willing sellers, and price discovery.
He emphasised, “The shift in our reserves has really little or nothing to do with defending the naira, and that is certainly not our objective.”
Dangote Petroleum Refinery has made headlines by announcing a further reduction in the price of diesel, dropping it from ₦1200 to ₦1000 naira per litre.
The refinery’s decision comes on the heels of its recent supply at a significantly reduced price of ₦1200 per litre, which was introduced three weeks ago, signifying a remarkable 30 per cent decrease from the previous market price of approximately ₦1600 per litre.
This substantial reduction in diesel prices at Dangote Petroleum Refinery is expected to reiterate positively throughout various sectors of the economy, potentially serving as a catalyst in alleviating the persistently high inflation rate in the country.
In a statement last week, Aliko Dangote, Africa’s wealthiest individual and the owner of the refinery, expressed his optimism regarding the potential impact of the price reduction on inflation in Nigeria.
“I believe that we are on the right track. I believe Nigerians have been patient, and I also believe that a lot of goodies will now come through. There’s quite a lot of improvement because if you look at it, one of the major issues that we’ve had was the naira devaluation that has gone very aggressively up to about ₦1900,” he remarked.
As anticipation builds around the implications of this move by Dangote Petroleum Refinery, stakeholders and consumers alike remain hopeful for the positive effects it could bring to the Nigerian economy in the coming months.
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