FG plans community engagement to drive tax reform acceptance

The federal government is set to commence a nationwide community engagement campaign to drive understanding and acceptance of the tax reform bills currently before the National Assembly.

Tayo Koleosho, Chief of Staff to the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) made the disclosure during a round table discussion in Abuja on Tuesday.

Koleosho explained that the initiative aims to address public skepticism surrounding taxation by bridging the gap between the government and the public on such matters.

He stressed the importance of grassroots engagement to ensure that citizens from all parts of the country understand the bill’s implications and contributions to Nigeria’s development.

According to him, “This is one of the many steps we are trying to take. We are trying to meet Nigerians through different channels that they will be able to understand because we think the major gap in our ability to be compliant or to embrace any law, irrespective of the law, especially when you talk about taxes, it is that across the world, people generally are suspicious of taxation, and it is very difficult for them to embrace it.

“So, what we are saying is that when Nigerians understand this, when they understand all the content and everything it’s about, then they can trust it and become advocates for it.

And that is on one side. On the other side, we are in a current situation in our country where we need more revenue in general, and taxation helps citizens to actually have a sense of rights to question how their money is being spent.”

Olufemi Olarinde, Head of Fiscal and Tax Reforms Implementation Division at FIRS, noted that the bill was a product of extensive consultations with stakeholders nationwide.