Naira Makes Remarkable Recovery in Official Black Market After FG's Threat to Tax Parallel Market

The naira made a marginal recovery on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, after days of freefall at both the official NAFEM and parallel markets.

The local currency had tumbled to N1,310 to the dollar in the parallel market, sparking fear among Nigerians that it could hit N2,000 to a dollar before December.

Naira makes a remarkable recovery

But on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, the fortunes of the Nigerian currency reversed after trading at N1,300 per dollar on the streets from the N1,310 it traded the previous day and gained even more in NAFEM, trading for N801.10 from the N847.77 it sold on Tuesday, October 24, 2023.

The Nigerian currency has been weighed down by a lack of Forex in the system, which has caused high inflation at 26.7% as of September and high living standards.

Analysts believe that Nigeria has about $7 billion FX backlog weighing down on the economy, with the government stating that it expects a $10 billion inflow in the coming weeks.

FG expects a $10 billion Forex inflow

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, disclosed in a recent conference organized by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) that the expected Forex inflow will ease liquidity in the system.

The naira recovery comes amid threats by the federal government to implement an excise tax on Forex transactions outside the official market to discourage multiple exchange rates in the country.

Nigeria to tax FX transactions outside official markets

The Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, stated this on X.

Oyedele said that the imposition of excise tax on Forex transactions outside the official market is being considered.

His statement is one of the 20 recommendations the Tax Reform Committee presented.

It intends to address critical economic issues from exchange rate management, fuel subsidy removal impact, and economic growth.

According to reports, the Nigerian FX market has seen a continuous depreciation, with the naira falling over 50% following the unification of the Forex windows.

The development has led to a wide gap between the official and parallel markets.

Oyedele said there are plans to digitalize Nigeria's fx regime, discourage speculative demands, and the hoarding of fx in cash.

He said:

"Discontinue the fx verification portal and requirement for Certificate of Capital Importation and export proceeds restriction."

"No More N1,210/$:" Naira hits new low in all markets after FG promises to crash the dollar

Torizone reported that Naira again made history on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, when it hit its lowest on the streets against the US dollar, which crashed to N1,310 per dollar.

The Nigerian currency had fallen to N1,210 per dollar on Monday, October 23, 2023, with traders blaming Forex scarcity for its continuous crash.

Also, the Naira fell at NAFEM, formerly the Investors and Exporters (I&E) window, where it crashed to N844.77 per dollar after rebounding a day earlier.