- Five Governors, Others To Attend
By Henry Uche, Lagos
When people see in practical terms that their taxes are being managed judiciously by the government, they will without compulsion or any form of force pay their taxes as required by law; but when they perceive a mismanagement of their taxes, they become recalcitrant. This, among other topical issues about tax administration and management, is what the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) said it would address at its 26th annual Tax Conference.
Slated for 13th through 17th of May, at Abuja Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ACCI), Km. 8, Yar’adua Expressway, Abuja, CITN’s President/Chairman of Council, Mr. Samuel Agbeluyi, confirmed that Plateau State governor, Mr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang; Jigawa State governor, Umar Namadi; former governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, and other two governors have confirmed their attendance.
Addressing reporters in Lagos, the CITN helmsman urged political leaders, tax professionals, public finance and accounts officers across the country to make themselves available at the confab, with the assurances that they would gain a whole lot of knowledge on how to manage taxes for the good of citizens.
With the theme, “Sustainable Tax Culture and Economic Roadmap for Nation Building”, Mr Agbeluyi assured that security has been beefed up for the safety of every participant; this is even as he expressed optimism that the Nigerian tax system would record a tremendous impact after the conference.
“When people don’t see the usefulness of their taxes, they would not want to pay, but when their taxes are judiciously used to improve their lives, they willingly pay because they are seeing evidence of prudent tax management”
He added that the Institute is fully prepared for an all-encompassing discourse and would not leave anything to chance; however, the only thing that changed from the earlier plan is the venue. “We are discussing Fiscal Policy Adjustment and its Impact on Revenue Generation, as well as Foreign Direct Investment and Revenue Implications. So our resources persons are fully loaded to share in-depth knowledge, and I believe the government at the federal and by extension, state level would accept our recommendations”
Agbeluyi stressed that experts across disciplines would be looking at situating the Nigeria Tax Policy within the Global Practice; doing a critical assessment of Revenue Generation at the Sub-Nationals, as well as x-ray taxation as an instrument of economic growth- looking at its impact on the manufacturing sector.
“We are expecting political leaders across the three tiers of government, public finance and account personnel and other tax professionals in attendance. Many countries run their government their taxes, and people enjoy good governance because their leaders make most judicious use of tax revenue, so we are looking forward to seeing a society where people’s taxes would count and everyone would be happy,” he added.