The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), representing the Nigerian private sector’s employers, has expressed concerns that the newly introduced expatriate employment levy could undermine President Bola Tinubu administration’s ongoing fiscal reforms.
In an open letter directed to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, which was published on the association’s official X account on Monday, NECA detailed these apprehensions.
The letter points out that expatriates living and working in Nigeria are already burdened with a slew of escalating levies. Specifically, they incur costs ranging from $1,000 to $2,000 for the Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Alien Card (CERPAC) processing, in addition to administration fees between $50 and $200..
NECA also highlighted that during a period when Nigeria is witnessing a significant departure of companies from the country, exacerbating the already critical issue of rampant unemployment, the government has been consistently introducing policies on an almost weekly basis. These policies, according to NECA, carry the potential for adverse effects on the Nigerian economy, thereby worsening the nation’s economic challenges.