Library / IHS LTD & INT TOWERS LTD VS NMDPRA JUDGEMENT
IHS LTD & INT TOWERS LTD VS NMDPRA JUDGEMENT
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Plaintiffs were liable to pay two levies, Authority Fund Levy and MDGI Fund Levy, pursuant to the PIA 2021, It is the Plaintiffs’ contention that they are not liable to the levies since they only use AGO for their Operations and not for sale and as such do not have an ex-depot price to indicate on the loading programme. After a meeting with the Defendant, the Plaintiffs wrote a letter to the Defendant stating their landing cost, storage cost and restating that they are not liable to pay levies. The Deféndant has now made new demands to include the destination of all trucks in their landing programme as well as the contracts they have with users of their BTS. The Plaintiffs in compliance with the decision of the Court have now issued and served pre-action notice on the Defendant (Exh. IHS 14). On 26" July, 2023, the Defendant served demand notices on 1% and 2d Plaintiffs, respectively, to remit to the Authority (1%) and MDGI Fund (0.5%) Levies (Exhs. IHS 15 and IHS 16), Again, the Defendant issued another demand notice to the 2" Plaintiff, while a debit note was issued to the 1* Plaintiff on 6t October, 2023 (Exhs. IHS 17 and IHS 18). Then, on 26" September, 2023, the Defendant wrote reminder letters to the 1* and 2"4 Plaintiffs, respectively (Exhs. THS 19 and IHS 20). In order to ensure the uninterrupted conduct of their business operations, the Plaintiffs were compelled to remit part of the statutory levies demanded by the Defendant (Exhs, IHS 21 and HIS 22). Simply put, the Plaintiffs’ contention is that they are not liable to the demands by the Defendant in Exh. THS 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22, The Defendant says that both Plaintiffs hold import permits only applicable to midstream operations, while the 2" Plaintif holds a petroleum depot license, The words, ‘permit’ and ‘licence’ are used interchangeably and mean the same thing and so, holders of im port permits are licensed to im port petroleum products and are wholesale petroleum liquids Suppliers by the tenor of the Act. The JUDGEMENT IN JAS (NIGERIA) LTD, & ANOR. v, THE NIG. MIDSTREAM & OOWNSTREAM PETROLEUM REGU ¥ SUIT NO; FHC/ABI/CS/1480/2023 ATORY AUTHOBETY
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