The National Coordinator, Association of Concerned Citizens of Nigeria on Revenue and Economy, Orji Philip Orji, who is also a tax expert has said that Nigeria’s current tax model was outdated and no longer obtainable in the world.
He asserted this in a chat with journalists in Abuja, calling for a reshuffle in the method of taxation.
Orji advocated for proactive steps on the part of the country’s legislatures in the handling of tax matters.
He said, “From the inception of democracy since 1999 till date our legislatures have not visited tax in more efficient manner, in that regard the Federal Inland Revenue Service were made to be a judge in their own case, which must result in an obvious temptation and work overload in that respect.”
He said, “Our outdated method of taxation is no longer obtainable in the world, the risk posed by Electronic Service Delivery (ESD) has proven that countries no longer have the luxury to operate in isolation.
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“So, any country that fail to innovate will waste the benefits in taxes like the transfer pricing. What we are demanding is for the National Assembly to fast track this bill (Tax Crime Commission) so as to rekindle our people’s lost confidence in our government.”
He noted, however, that the current challenges in the tax system in Nigeria were “not insurmountable”.
“Most of the countries that are doing well today in their taxation passed through challenges that may be more than ours at the moment. So, that is why I refuse to lament in our situation because it is not insurmountable and lamentation does not solve problems,” he posited.
