By Chijioke Kingsley
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – A legal Practitioner Barr. Lawrence Anyia, has reacted to the controversy surrounding the new proposed Tax Law by the federal government, saying that he sees no ambiguity with the bill that has generated debate, especially with a section of the country.
He said Nigerians should always look at the brighter side of policies meant to improve the economy rather than pursuing issues from a religious point of view.
Anyia stated this on Wednesday, when he opined on the new tax regime that has met with stiff resistance amongst the Northern Legislators.
Recall that on October 3, 2024, President Bola Tinubu transmitted the Tax Reform Bills to the National Assembly for their consideration. The Bill aims to promote uniform procedures for a consistent and efficient administration of tax laws to facilitate tax compliance by taxpayers in line with current realities.
The Tax Reform Bills comprise the Nigeria Tax Bill, Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, Nigeria Tax Administration Bill and Joint Revenue Board.
“To my mind, there’s no ambiguity with the new tax law, even though the bill has not been passed for people to really read and digest.
“The bill is still in the incubation stage. But to my mind, there is no ambiguity.
“Sometimes Nigerians, quote and unquote, are very parochial when it comes to issues like this.
They see it from a religious point of view.
“Some of them will say, oh, this tax bill is going to adversely affect our religious inclinations, while others will say, it will affect us as a people.
“Nobody has clearly come out to say this is a section of the bill that will affect us.
“Some are saying, let us engage in wider consultation. Wider consultations over what?
“I don’t see the need for dichotomy in these tax reforms. But the dichotomy is so sharp, as we are already seeing a North-South divide over the issue. While the South are seeing merit in it, the North are not seeing merit in it.
“Whenever policy of economic growth is set before Nigerians, they rather introduce ethnicity, tribe and religion to it and sacrifice the general country’s interest.
“For instance, I don’t see any reason why someone who is representing a section of the Nigerian population in the National Assembly would turn around and say, we don’t want to pass this bill until we do wider consultation.
“Okay, tell us, what wider consultation are you doing?
“They only sit down in Abuja to say we want to do wider consultation. Wider consultation from when to when? What section of the tax reforms are you condemning? None of them has come out to tell us”.
Anyia advised Nigerians to listen to the overwhelming number of legislators that are in support of the tax reforms.
He also advised the government to use the National Orientation Agency to sensitize the public on the merits of the bill.
“There is a need for a genuine engagement between representatives and their constituents to address concerns and foster a more unified approach to tax reform”, he said.
Our correspondent reports that the new tax reforms proposed by President Tinubu are seen as a crucial step towards economic improvement, but they are met with significant public resistance, largely influenced by regional and ethnic sentiments.
Effective communication and education about the benefits of these reforms are essential to gain public support and compliance, as many citizens currently feel disconnected from the tax system, our correspondent said.
Sundiata Post however, reports that the federal government will begin implementing the new tax law by January 1, 2025, which will grant rate reductions and full exemption from Withholding Tax to many businesses, including SMEs with annual turnover not exceeding N25 million.
Taiwo Oyedele, chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, had explained in a post on his X handle on Wednesday that the new tax law has been gazetted.
According to the gazetted copy sighted by this medium, the regulation’s purpose is to remove complexities in tax deduction at source, reduce the rates of deduction for sectors with low margins, provide exemptions for small businesses and manufacturers, promote the ease of tax compliance and administration, and curb tax evasion, among other things.
