According to Mrs. Abiodun Essiet, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (North Central), the federal government’s new tax reform bill is set to address the longstanding issue of multiple taxation in Nigeria.
Speaking on Wednesday at a stakeholder engagement held at Kimbis Hotels Makurdi, Essiet said the bill is part of a broader initiative to enhance public understanding and collect citizen feedback. Her office organised the event, themed “Citizen’s Assembly: Understanding the Tax Reform Bill and Feedback Gathering,” in collaboration with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
“The tax reform bill is designed to solve the problem of multiple taxation,” Essiet stated. “It is pro-poor, meaning that low-income earners and individuals earning the minimum wage will be exempted from tax. Essential goods such as food and pharmaceuticals are also tax-exempt under this bill.”
She explained that her office, in partnership with FIRS, is leading a series of engagements across the North Central zone to raise awareness and gather public input on the bill’s provisions and implementation strategies.
“We’re here to listen to the concerns of stakeholders, including local and state revenue officials, market leaders, and community members. The feedback we gather will be documented and sent to the federal government as input from Benue State taxpayers,” she added.
Fielding questions on concerns raised by northern communities regarding tax regulations, Essiet said the National Assembly is currently reviewing those issues. “The Senate is conducting public hearings and fast-tracking the process. Feedback from these engagements across the six geopolitical zones, supported and funded by FIRS, will be considered in refining the bill before it is signed into law.”
She urged participants to spread accurate information about the reform within their communities rather than relying solely on social speculations.
The lead facilitator, Mr. Bright Igbinosa, a representative of FIRS, presented the new tax reform bill and outlined its key provisions. He emphasised that the reform aims to exempt low-income earners and small business owners with annual turnovers below N50 million from taxation. He added that the bill includes mechanisms to ensure transparency and reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks, thereby fostering fiscal responsibility and stimulating economic growth.
In a goodwill message, Barr. Akor Abiem Terna, Special Assistant to Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia on Political Matters, who represented the Secretary to the State Government, Barr. Deborah Serumun Aber expressed the state government’s commitment to supporting reform implementation.
Other goodwill messages came from the National Orientation Agency (NOA), represented by the agency’s Director of Statistics, Dewua Mark, and the State Manager of SMESAN, Mr. John Adah. Both expressed optimism that the new tax law would address key challenges, particularly the burden of multiple taxation.
Participants from various sectors, including NOA, FIRS market women associations, and others, appealed to the federal government to consider citizens’ economic hardship. They highlighted levies such as taxes on ATM usage as examples of the everyday financial strain on ordinary Nigerians.
