Streamlined taxes to bring sanity to Nigerian system – CITN president

Samuel Agbeluyi, president Chartered Institute of Taxation Nigeria said that ahead of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms full year report some governors are already streamlining the various taxes they collect in their states.

“Some states are going to move from having 65 taxes to 10. Once there’s tax sanity within the tax space the economy will be vibrant,” he said.

Read also: CITN will ensure Nigeria meets tax-to-GDP ratio of 18%: Agbeluyi

He said this at his pre-conference chat for the 26th Annual Tax Conference to be held in Abuja between Monday 13th – Friday 17th May 2024 with the theme, “Sustainable Tax Culture and Economic Roadmap for Nation Building.”

Agbeluyi stated that with harmonisation of taxes which the committee where he is also a member has proposed, the tax space can be sanitised.

He also said that both state and local government chairmen to order non-state actors, “There is no civilised environment in the world where you block roads. In those states where they still block the roads and where you put non-state actors to collect tax, we need to put a stop to this. Taxpayers are kings and they must be respected and when they are treated as kings, of course they will comply.

“That is why we are proud of the customer-centric approach of the new Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and this is what is done everywhere in the world. So I advise revenue authorities that you don’t need to reinvent the will…Don’t tax poverty. I hope the people at the sub-nationals are listening.”

He said that the sub-national governments should give autonomy to the state Inland Revenue Service to improve on their efficiency and effectiveness in tax collection.

He said a state internal revenue service should be independent of the state ministry of finance and states which have followed this part have succeeded.

“While we keep on focusing on the federal government, we need to pay attention to the sub-nationals. Nigeria cannot grow by just focusing on the federal government,” he added.