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Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, has called for strict enforcement of tax laws in Nigeria, insisting that non-compliance should carry serious consequences.
Speaking in an interview with Channels Television’s Politics Today, Oshiomhole said public resistance to value added tax (VAT) is peculiar to Nigeria, noting that misunderstanding of taxation fuels opposition.
“It is only in Nigeria that people talk about government using money or claim that government earns money on its own,” he said.
“Governments do not earn money; citizens earn income, and the government taxes those earnings — whether individual or corporate. The sum of these taxes determines the annual revenue of the state.”
Oshiomhole, also a former governor of Edo State, stressed that tax compliance must be strictly enforced.
“Taxes must be paid by those who are supposed to pay it and must be ruthlessly collected. It’s not a civil obligation. It’s a criminal thing if you breach the tax law, and it has to send people to prison if they decline or doctor the tax books. That is what serious governments should do,” he said.
He also defended the structure of the nation’s tax policy, describing it as progressive and protective of low-income earners.
“The facts on the ground show that President Tinubu’s tax policy is consistent with the values of a progressive government. This is a progressive tax policy that places a higher burden on those who earn more while offering tax exemptions to those who earn less.”
On the contentious VAT, the senator explained that the levy applies mostly to luxury and non-essential items rather than basic goods.
“When you and I choose to buy luxury or imported items, then we pay VAT. If you don’t consume luxury, you don’t pay VAT. That is why VAT is fair.
“Nigerians pay VAT in London, in America, in Dubai, sometimes up to 20 percent, and nobody complains. Why is it a problem when it is in Nigeria? Everywhere in the world, when you buy non-food items, you pay VAT. Nigerians pay VAT in America, London, Dubai, yet they resist paying VAT here in Nigeria.”
