The Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Muhammad Nami, has asked governors to make residents of their states “see the effects of tax revenue”.
He said this in Abuja on Tuesday at the Nigeria Governors’ Forum’s 7th Internally Generated Revenue Learning conference.
He said that taxpayers expected to be provided with amenities “for a good life”, as enshrined in the constitution of Nigeria.
He said, “Tax compliant citizens can legitimately expect their leaders to provide necessary amenities for a ‘good life’.
“This expectation is confirmed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) in section 16(b) where it provides that ‘the State shall, within the context of the ideals and objectives for which provisions are made in this Constitution, control the national economy in such manner as to secure the maximum welfare, freedom and happiness of every citizen on the basis of social justice and equality of status and opportunity’.
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“Governments at various tiers must, in view of the constitutional provisions, imbibe the culture of “value-for-money” or, put in proper perspective, “value-for-tax-money.
“The citizens should not just hear budget figures but must, within their immediate living quarters, feel, see and experience effects of tax revenue. This, going forward, should be the norm and not an exception.”
Oil No Longer Sustainable
Nami also noted that the country needed a shift from its dependence on the revenue generated from crude oil.
He poked at the sustainability of the revenue source, noting that there was a global shift from fossil fuel to cleaner energy sources.
Nami said, “Nigeria, over the years, has been dependent on revenue from crude oil. This source of revenue is no longer sustainable as the market for fossil fuel continues to depletes due to complications arising from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the shift from fossil fuel to other cleaner sources of energy, rising cost of exploration, banditry and oil theft, etc.
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