The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has advised the Federal Government to expand its tax net and bring it more taxpayers instead of increasing the burden on existing taxpayers.
The chamber said this in a statement signed by its President, Michael Olawale-Cole.
According to the statement, the recent appointment of Taiwo Oyedele as the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, established to remove barriers impeding business growth in Nigeria, is a decisive affirmative action.
The chamber further said that it was clear by the pronouncement that the President recognised the importance of a sound fiscal policy environment and an effective taxation system for the functioning of the government and the economy.
The statement read in part, “The committee’s primary objective would be to enhance revenue collection efficiency, ensure transparent reporting, and promote the effective utilsation of tax and other revenues to boost citizens’ tax morale, foster a healthy tax culture, and drive voluntary compliance.
“Your Excellency, it would be important for the committee to focus on expanding the tax net to avoid overburdening existing taxpayers. Other issues of revenue leakages, such as oil theft, should also be properly addressed. These would ensure that the government can earn more revenue and that there will be less dependence on internal and external borrowings to fund the budget.”
It added that those efforts would improve the country’s revenue profile and create a more conducive and internationally competitive business environment.
