FROM RAHILA ABDULLAHI, KADUNA
As Nigeria charts a new direction for the nation’s economic growth through the proposed tax reform bills, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris said the nation’s tax administration system was long overdue for reform on account of general attitudes of taxpayers on taxation, among other reasons.
Idris spoke on Saturday as the chairman of the occasion at the Kaduna State chapter of Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR, 2024 Annual Public Lecture and Awards.
Speaking on the topic, ‘Tax Reform: The Role of Public Relations in Fostering Constructive Dialogue for National Economic Renaissance’, which he said had brought to the fore yet again, the place of constructive dialogue as a vital pillar of democracy, the Minister noted that the ongoing review of the country’s tax laws is timely and crucial, especially as part of a larger set of macroeconomic reforms, just as he commended the Presidential Committee on Fiscal and Tax Reform for an excellent job, in terms of public engagement.
According to him, “The topic before us today is a sensitive yet important and inescapable one: taxation. It was the American statesman, Benjamin Franklin, who famously said that “In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes”.
“Let me make it clear that even with our keenness for fundamental reform of Nigeria’s governance and fiscal systems, the Tinubu administration will never do anything to undermine the ideals of participatory democracy. The current mandate and responsibility that we have for governing and reforming Nigeria at this time came by way of democracy, and we will continue to live up to those very high democratic standards and expectations.
“All over the world, effective taxation is important as a source of financial power for governments to provide social services for their citizens. However, there is plenty of reason to believe and assert that Nigeria’s tax administration system has become long overdue for reform, on account of design and implementation flaws as well as the general attitudes of taxpayers toward taxation.
“In light of this, the ongoing review of the country’s tax laws and realities is timely and crucial, especially as part of a larger set of macroeconomic reforms aimed at setting the country on an irreversible path of growth and development. The full details of the new tax bills are available in the public domain one must commend the Presidential Committee on Fiscal and Tax Reform for an excellent job in this regard, in terms of public engagement so I will not attempt to go over these details again here”.
Earlier, the president of NIPR, Dr. Ike Neliaku pledged the institute’s support for the expected reality and implementation of the tax reform in the country by using the vocal voices of the institute across the country.
