By Femi Ogunshola
The Association of Concerned Citizens of Nigeria on Revenue and Economy (ACCNRE) has urged the National Assembly to pass the Tax Crime Commission Bill currently before it.
According to the group, the bill would help the country witness a tremendous inflow of tax revenue.
Mr. Orji Orji, the National Coordinator of ACCNRE, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja while briefing journalists at the National Assembly.
If the recommendations and the strategic framework in the bill could be implemented, he said Nigeria would witness a tremendous inflow of tax revenue of more than 30 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
According to him, no one likes to pay tax, and neither does government wants to impose it on its citizens, but no nation can exist without tax.
He said there was a need for the government to take on the responsibility of fashioning a fair, efficient, and transparent taxation system.
Orji said that the system should be able to guarantee the security and protection of the taxpayer’s rights.
The bill seeks the establishment of a National Inspector-General for Tax Crimes Commission (NIGTCC).
He said the bane remained a system failure in the nation’s economic management, caused by the inefficient and inffective taxation system it has operated.
Orji said that if set up, the NIGTCC would provide policy direction, conduct, supervise and coordinate audit and investigations related to Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) programmes and operations.
He said it would also review existing and proposed legislation and regulations relating to FIRS programmes and operations and make recommendations concerning the impact of such legislation on the administration of the tax laws.
He said it would inform the auditor general and the legislature of problems and deficiencies identified and the steps taken to resolve them.
NAN
