NLNG Faults Report On Tax To FIRS, Says It’s Mutually Agreed

The Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) has explained that it had out of court agreement with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to pay the sum of $27.5 million as corporate income tax.

It said this is contrary to earlier reports which had falsely suggested that it was ordered by Tax Appeal Tribunal (TAT) to pay the sum.

The General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Andy Odeh, gave the explanations in a statement Thursday.

The statement reads:

Re: Tax Tribunal orders NLNG to pay $27.5m to FIRS as 2016 revised Corporate Income Tax

Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) has noted media reports suggesting that a Tax Appeal Tribunal ordered NLNG to pay $27.5 million to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) as a revised Company Income Tax (CIT) settlement for 2016.

NLNG clarifies that these reports misrepresent an out-of-court settlement that was reached amicably between the parties, without prejudice to their respective legal positions, which the Tribunal merely adopted as Consent Judgment in the appeal. The payment by NLNG was thus made in furtherance of a settlement agreement reached between the parties and not because of any order made by the Tribunal.

NLNG remains a responsible corporate citizen, and consistently operates in compliance with Nigerian laws and will continue to operate in line with its vision of being “a globally competitive LNG company helping to build a better Nigeria.”

Andy Odeh,

General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development