President Goodluck Jonathan has been urged to as a matter of national interest and priority sign into law the Amended Personal Income Tax Bill.
The call is contained in a communiqué issued in Kaduna at the end of the North-West zone meeting of the Pay Your Tax Civil Society Coalition (PTYCISCO).
The communiqué which was signed by Femi Oluwole, National Coordinator and Chima Amadi, National Secretary, said, “For a very long time, the National Assembly has passed the bill for an act to amend the personal income tax act. This bill, as we all know confers more powers to the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) for the enforcement of payment of tax due from every taxable person. The passing of this bill was welcome with so much euphoria because we all know that it was long overdue. However, the inability or refusal of the President to sign this bill into law since it was passed is raising a lot of questions. We believe that in our effort to reduce the over dependence on oil revenue, the government should mobilize, motivate and encourage the FIRS in its duties of making sure that all revenue derivable from taxation is accrued”. Cautioning President Jonathan on the importance of the bill, it added “The President should also understand that in a society where people are not adequately taxed, they become less motivated to demand responsiveness and accountability, thereby ultimately breaking the fundamental bond between the state and her citizens. Consequently, as a coalition whose main objectives is to entrench the culture of prompt tax payment and mobilize support for economically viable taxing system, we hereby call on President Goodluck Jonathan to sign the amended personal income tax act into law without further delay. We believe that doing so will be a major plus to the president’s transformative leadership that is poised to take Nigeria to the Promise Land.”