Buhari’s call on govs to increase Tax for more IGR will create more hardship —Employers

The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) on Monday reacted to calls by President Muhammadu Buhari to state governments to increase Value Added Tax (VAT) in order to increase their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

The group said such move would do more harm to the already burdened private sector.

President Buhari had last week during the inauguration of the National Executive Council (NEC) challenged state governors to jerk up taxes in their state.

The President, represented by Vice President Yemi stated that the move would garner more revenue to the states, to meet up with the infrastructural development in the states.

But NECA Director-General, Mr. Timothy Olawale, during the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conference currently holding in Geneva, Switzerland, said, though the president meant well by urging state governments to increase their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), considering the reported over N2 trillion in bailout funds to many of the states, increase in VAT, or any other form of tax as a way to increase IGR at this time is not only misplaced,

He added that it would do more harm to the already burdened private sector and further impoverish the citizens that the president promised to take out of poverty.

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He maintained that “the common man will definitely be at the receiving end of any increase in VAT.

Even if businesses are taxed more through likely illegal levies and rates outside the provisions of the law, they will naturally pass the cost to the customers whose purchasing power is already at the lowest ebb.

“What needed to be done by the governments and indeed the Federal Government in an aggressive taxpayer enlightenment and expansion of the tax net to capture more citizens as has been posited, arguably as less than 40% of Nigerians are tax compliant.”

“Secondly the states should put mechanisms in place to eliminate leakages as a large chunk of the IGR realised does not find its way into government coffers.”

“Finally as reiterated over and over again they should drastically cut the cost of governance. Several unnecessary retinues of aides kept by them at prohibitive cost to the state are needless. Besides, ingenious idea of corrupt practices in the name of security votes and frivolous foreign travels by state government functionaries are veritable examples of cuttings in avoidable expenses draining state government purses,” he submitted.

By Babatunde Alao…

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