Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo North, has called on the federal government to jail tax evaders, saying strict enforcement is necessary to deter non-compliance and strengthen Nigeria’s revenue system.
Gatekeepers News reports that speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Oshiomhole said resistance to paying value-added tax (VAT) is largely a Nigerian phenomenon, adding that the newly enacted tax laws are designed to protect low-income earners while holding high-income earners more accountable.
He insisted that tax compliance must be treated as a legal obligation, not a choice.
“Taxes must be paid by those who are supposed to pay it and must be ruthlessly collected. It’s not a civil obligation. It’s a criminal thing if you breach the tax law, and it sends people to prison if they decline or doctor the tax books. That is what serious governments should do,” he said.
The former governor of Edo State explained that the structure of the tax policy reflects the principles of a progressive government by placing a greater tax burden on those who earn more.
According to him, VAT is targeted mainly at luxury and non-essential goods, rather than basic items required for daily living.
Oshiomhole also criticised Nigerians who oppose paying VAT locally but readily comply with similar taxes when living or doing business abroad.
“The facts on the ground show that President Tinubu’s tax policy is consistent with the values of a progressive government,” he said.
“This is a progressive tax policy that places a higher burden on those who earn more while offering tax exemptions to those who earn less.”
He argued that public resistance to taxation is driven largely by misunderstanding, noting that governments do not generate money independently.
“It is only in Nigeria that people talk about the government using money or claim that the government earns money on its own,” he said.
“Governments do not earn money; citizens earn income, and the government taxes those earnings — whether individual or corporate. The sum of these taxes determines the annual revenue of the state.”
