From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The dust of opposition raised by some northern elite to the Tax Reform bills being considered by the National Assembly will begin settle if the Federal Government embarks on a massive public awareness campaign, to educate Nigerians across the country on the broad socio-economic benefits of the initiatives to states and local governments in terms of increased statutory allocations for infrastructural development projects at the grassroots.
A panel of participants who discussed the Federal Government’s tax Reform Bills gave this advice at the one-day Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), held in Kaduna.
Participants agreed that the proposed bills, when passed, signed into law and properly executed, would help the nation to recover from the current economic problems.
They, however, noted that the government has not done enough in terms of publicity and information, most especially on the ordinary dwellers on the benefits of the new tax bills going through the legislative process.
They suggested that an all out aggressive enlightenment programme be carried out in some of the nation’s common languages at the local level, to disabuse the mind’s of the people ongoing campaign against the Tax Reform’s Bills, urging the authorities to use local leaders and traditional institution’s to carry out the sensitisation exercise.
Participants noted that lack of awareness and proper government enlightenment on the bills gave way to the furore and rage among Nigerians, most especially those who attached politics to the success of the bills.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who addressed the august gathering stressed that the nation’s tax administration system was long overdue for reform on account of the general attitude of the average citizen regarding taxation, among other reasons.
The Minister spoke on the theme, “Tax Reform: The role of Public Relations in Fostering Constructive Dialogue for National Economic Renaissance,” emphasising that constructive dialogue is a vital pillar of democracy.
He noted that the ongoing review of the country’s tax laws is timely and crucial, especially as part of a larger set of macroeconomic reforms, just as he commended the Presidential Committee on Fiscal and Tax Reform for an excellent job, in terms of public engagement.
Notable personalities from the North, including Senator Shehu Dani, who represented Kaduna Central at 8th National Assembly, respected Islamic scholar, Sheilk Abubakar Gumi and former Kaduna State chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Reverend Joseph Hayab, endorsed the tax reform bills in their various contributions to the discourse.
They all spoke as guests at the occasion, and urged their Northern kinsmen to take advantage of the reform to ensure that collapsed industries are revamped, urging that the North should go into full time commercial agricultural production, to attract benefits of taxation under the current administration of President Bola Tinubu.
Earlier in his remarks, the President of NIPR, Dr. Ike Neliaku, had pledged the support of the Institute for the passage of the proposed bills and implementation of the tax reform initiative in the country by using the vocal voices of the institute across the country.
In his keynote address, Hon. Idris said: “The topic before us today is a sensitive yet important and inescapable one: taxation. It was the American statesman, Benjamin Franklin, who famously said, “In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.”
“Let me make it clear that, even with our keenness for fundamental reform of Nigeria’s governance and fiscal systems, the Tinubu administration will never do anything to undermine the ideals of participatory democracy. The current mandate and responsibility that we have for governing and reforming Nigeria at this time came by way of democracy, and we will continue to live up to those very high democratic standards and expectations.
“All over the world, effective taxation is important as a source of financial power for governments to provide social services for their citizens. However, there is plenty of reason to believe and assert that Nigeria’s tax administration system has become long overdue for reform, on account of design and implementation flaws as well as the general attitude of taxpayers toward taxation.
“In light of this, the ongoing review of the country’s tax laws and realities is timely and crucial, especially as part of a larger set of macroeconomic reforms aimed at setting the country on an irreversible path of growth and development. The full details of the new tax bills are available in the public domain – one must commend the Presidential Committee on Fiscal and Tax Reform for an excellent job in this regard, in terms of public engagement – so I will not attempt to go over these details again here.
“What I will say is that it is very inspiring and heart warming to see Nigerians from all walks of life coming out to express their views and opinions on these matters of critical national importance as such is the very essence and meaning of democracy. In spite of the challenge of trust deficit that tends to crop up around matters of governance in Nigeria, we have still been able to have what can be adjudged as robust debate on this sensitive issue.
“President Tinubu has also been very clear that the Executive will listen to and work with all stakeholders to ensure that all concerns are duly and comprehensively addressed. We will continue to ensure open lines of communication and engagement with the National Assembly and all other stakeholders on these taxation bills. We are all in this together, as one people, one nation, and just as we are being called upon to make collective sacrifices, we will also collectively reap the abundant social and economic benefits of all of these necessary reforms.
“It is at times like this that we are reminded of the important roles of Public Relations in the maintenance of a functioning and healthy society. By facilitating purposeful communication, building mutual understanding, and transparent promotion of ideas, Public Relations practice and practitioners can help create a culture of collaboration and progress.
“Also, as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu continues to implement an ambitious fiscal reform agenda that will devolve more resources to Nigeria’s State and Local Governments, and ultimately to the Nigerian people, in the spirit of true federalism, citizen engagement will become ever more critical.
“Those of us who manage communications for the Federal Government understand that we have a lot of work on our hands. We are up to the task, and we will continue to deploy innovative and comprehensive mechanisms to provide the public with insights and enlightened information that will bolster public trust and confidence in the reform narratives of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the administration.
“We will also be looking to count on the strong support of the NIPR, among many other stakeholders. Which is why this dialogue is very much welcome, and commendable.
“Society advances by mutually respectful engagements, where we give voice to diverse opinions, and respect those who we disagree with. We will certainly not always agree on all issues, perhaps not even on most. But we will always be guided by the fact that the things that unite us – our common humanity, our nationhood, our sense of patriotism, our collective vision for a Nigeria that works for all – will always be more important and more meaningful than our differences of age, religion, region, ideology, gender, culture, and social class.”
In the opinion of the attendees, the bills represent one of the best policies that have ever been contemplated by any administration since 1999, and which must be carefully guarded and executed for the benefit of all citizens, irrespective of political party affiliation.
Different speakers appealed to the Federal Government not to relent in the proper execution of the provisions of the proposed tax legislations when they become law. They urged the government to remain sensitive and responsive to various opinions.
It is hoped that the authority will do well to study the contributions of the speakers, which could douse the tension that followed the introduction of the tax reform bills, which some people hold the erroneous belief that it was intended to ruin the economic growth of a certain region of the country.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, who chaired the occasion, commended the Kaduna State Chapter of the NIPR, for being the first to see the need for the timely gathering of Nigerians from different quarters, to brainstorm on the government policy, and urged other organizations and institutions to emulate the Institution, especially the media in order to take the lead in educating and enlightening the people on government tax policies.
Kaduna State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Mallam Suleiman Shuaibu (SAN) who represented Governor Uba Sani at the occasion, said the state under the present administration, has vigorously embarked on many reforms, to assist the people of the state and better the lives of the citizenry. He thanked the organizers of the event for choosing Kaduna for the ceremony.
A five-man panel of discussants x-rayed the topic of the programme, and concluded that the government reform bills before the National Assembly is the only way out to save the nation’s economy from collapse, if properly implemented to the letter.