Twelve states of the federation have so far adopted and harmonised the new national tax laws with their state tax frameworks, the Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, has said.
Gatekeepers News reports that Oyedele disclosed this during a presentation at the National Economic Council (NEC) Conference in Abuja.
He said that beyond the 12 states that have already adopted the laws, 13 states have the bills before their houses of assembly, while 11 others are at advanced stages of presenting the legislation to their state parliaments.
According to him, harmonisation is crucial to curb multiple taxation and ensure a more efficient tax system across the country.
Call for autonomy, end to consultants
Oyedele urged state governors to grant full autonomy to their internal revenue services and to stop relying on private consultants for routine tax collection.
“Let us stop using consultants to collect taxes. It undermines our ability to do what is right,” he said.
“The new tax law says you can’t use consultants to do the routine work of the tax authority, and their autonomy must be guaranteed.”
Tax amnesty planned
He also revealed plans to introduce a tax amnesty programme through a voluntary disclosure scheme.
“As part of this reform, there is a plan for a voluntary disclosure programme, in other words, people admit that they have not been paying their taxes diligently over the years, and they don’t have the money to pay off immediately,” Oyedele told NEC members.
“If we don’t clean the past, we are not sure we will get the money going forward. So we need your help to adopt a tax amnesty programme that we are designing that will help people to come clean with their past tax compliance,” he added.
NEC communique
In a communique issued at the end of the conference, the NEC called on governments at all levels to prioritise spending on human capital development, infrastructure and accountability to strengthen public trust and improve living standards.
The council urged state governments to increase per capita spending on health, education and youth employment, noting that Nigeria’s persistent underinvestment in education and health remains a major challenge compared with other countries.
“There is an urgent need to ramp up investment in the social sectors — education, health and nutrition,” the communique stated.
The council also agreed on measures to support domestic production, with the aim of making the economy more productive, competitive and export-driven, while encouraging subnational governments to prioritise investment planning.
It noted that Nigeria’s federal system vests responsibilities across local, state and federal governments — sometimes exclusively and sometimes jointly — and called for stronger coordination to achieve national development goals.
The communique further urged federal and state governments to strengthen partnerships with the private sector, civil society and development partners to deliver inclusive and sustainable growth.
