Corporate Affairs Director, Nigerian Breweries (NB Plc.), Uzo Odenigbo, has again urged the Federal Government to halt all plans to introduce tax stamps on excisable goods, warning that the consequences would be dire not only in the beer and consumer goods sector but on all locally produced goods as a whole.
 
Speaking at a media briefing held in Lagos, he warned that if implemented, it would worsen the country’s inflation crisis and erase any minimal gains recorded. He regretted that this is an additional burden for them, on top of all the hurdles local manufacturers continually struggle with.
 
Further noting that they remain supportive of all regulatory transparency, he said their position remains advocating for a fit-for-purpose solution that avoids unnecessary burdens on responsible operators.
 
This is coming just after the Executive Director of the Beer Sectoral Group (BSG), Abiola Laseinde, ahead of the just concluded Nigerian Economic Summit, urged the government to abandon the idea, noting that it would trigger production disruptions and poses a threat to their survival.
 
Similarly, the Director-General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Segun Ajayi-Kadir, had also cautioned that the proposed tax stamp system could compound economic pressures and fuel consumer price increases.
 
Odenigbo said their product has low illicit risk as beer is not typically subject to counterfeiting or illicit trade, making tax stamps unnecessary for enforcement in this category.
 
Adding that it would cause severe operational disruption, he said the proposed implementation would disrupt high-speed beer production lines, causing inefficiencies and increased costs.
 
“Also, additional costs from stamp procurement and system integration offer no tangible return or added value to the business or consumer. Most international markets do not require tax stamps for beer, favouring more efficient excise tracking systems. Furthermore, uneven enforcement could unfairly benefit non-compliant players, undermining fair competition.”
   
He urged the government to consolidate on ongoing reforms such as the Nigeria Customs Service’s (NCS) B’Odogwu Excise Reporting System (ERS), which digitises excise administration, tracks production volumes in real time and creates an auditable trail to reduce leakages. “ERS and FIRS e-Invoicing are effective, transparent and locally developed systems. What the government should do is strengthen them, not impose more hurdles on us through tax stamps,” he said.
   
He urged the government to avoid policies that have failed in other jurisdictions and provide solutions to the problems they already face, rather than exacerbating them. He further urged the government to rescind the proposed tax stamps rollout to protect jobs and revenues, consolidate existing digital systems, shield local industry from capital flight to foreign tax stamp vendors and preserve government revenues.