Chairman of the presidential committee on tax policy and fiscal reforms, Taiwo Oyedele says there is no intention to engage Alpha-Beta Consulting or any consultant for tax collection.
He made the clarification while responding to a question on the issue, during a town hall meeting on tax reform bills hosted by Channels Television.
Alpha-Beta is a firm that collects taxes on behalf of the Lagos state government.
The committee chairman pointed out that Nigeria’s reliance on consultants for tax collection is a significant challenge in the Nigerian economy.
He said no government should rely on consultants for tax collection.
“In fact, we had a very interesting debate at the committee level. I wanted to put a language in the law that says no government should use a consultant to collect tax. We think that that is one of the biggest problems in our economy today.
“So, I can confirm to you, 100 per cent, that there is no plan whatsoever in using consultants to do any of this,” Oyedele said.
The chairman said the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) already has the necessary infrastructure to handle tax collection efficiently, particularly through its TaxPro Max platform.
He explained that the system requires only minor adjustments to accommodate the proposed reforms.
“All that we need to do once we pass these bills, go to that system and amend the language, the algorithm, so that next time MTN is filing VAT returns, there is a request that says tell me the state where they have emanated from,” he said.
Oyedele added that the same process would apply to other large corporations, such as Dangote Group and financial institutions, ensuring compliance without the need for external consultants.
He also clarified that state governors were consulted during the drafting of the tax reform bills.
“This is not rushing at all. We consulted. We had one session with the governors’ forum. We consulted the governors. They won’t say we didn’t consult them. They are saying we need to consult more, which we agree with, because considerations will never end. Even after passing the bills, you must continue to consult,” the chairman said.
“We had two sessions with the national economy council. We had almost a whole day with the finance commissioners from all over Nigeria,” he added.
Oyedele further explained that the committee engaged with heads of internal revenue services from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory on at least four occasions.
According to him, letters were sent to governors in each geopolitical zone, offering to meet them and their cabinets for detailed discussions.
“Some of them did not have time for us. For those who had… we appreciate the governor of Lagos, he said you know what, let’s even set up a committee between my cabinet and your team to work through the details. We worked for more than six months,” he added.
Oyedele said the committee is always open to engagement, asserting that it is inaccurate to claim they did not make consultations.
