The Federal Government has denied reported plan to increase or impose more taxes on Nigerians.
Zacch Adedeji, the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), said this on Tuesday when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Finance, chaired by Senator Mohammed Sani Musa.
According to the FIRS boss, the tax reform bills sent to the National Assembly by the government of President Bola Tinubu are not intended to introduce new taxes or increase existing ones but to harmonize them.
“There won’t be additional taxes. The tax reform bills will not and are not intended to introduce new taxes or increase the existing taxes. It’s just to harmonise them,” Adedeji said.
Briefing newsmen after the meeting, Senator Musa also confirmed the tax reform proposals are not targeted at increasing individual or company taxes.
He, however stressed the need for the FIRS to embark on sensitization of Nigerians on the intentions of the tax reform bills.
“The chairman of FIRS has mentioned to us that no any increment in taxes on anyone, not only individuals but companies. That, we agreed.
“I think what they want to do is to strengthen the revenue base of the country and simplify the administration of taxes. There is the need for FIRS to embark on serious sensitisation on these bills. As far as we are concerned, we are representing Nigerians and we will do what Nigerians desire us to do on these bills,” the Niger Senator said.
Naija News reports President Tinubu had transmitted four bills to the two chambers of the National Assembly aimed at giving legislative frameworks to some proposals of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee headed by Taiwo Oyedele.
One of the bills titled, “The Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, 2024, is seeking the National Assembly’s approval to change the name, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS).
