The World Bank said in the last edition of its biannual update on Nigeria, entitled “From Policy to People: Bringing the Reform Gains Home” published in early October, only at Nigeria, an increase in public health taxes can be a lever important for financing capital strengthening investments human.

Nigeria is the 4th most important consumer of sodas in the world and the second market for beer on the African continent. In the country, these products are among the least taxed from West Africa. These levies include excise duties on goods that have harmful effects on health such as tobacco, alcohol and sugary drinks. If the country is the largest consumer market in Africa from the West, the institution estimates that the taxes currently in force on these products are among the weakest in ECOWAS and in the world.

Nigeria only applies an ad valorem rate (tax) (calculated as a percentage of the selling price of a product) of 20% on spirits compared to 45— 50% in most countries in the economic zone and 30% on tobacco, far behind Togo (100%), Senegal (65%) or Ghana (50%), depending on the details.

According to the Bank global believes that the federal government has everything Interest in taking this lever into account in order to sustainably broaden its base fiscal, especially since the impact of this measure remains beneficial as well. on revenue only as far as fiscal justice is concerned.