Government Should Exempt The Poor From Taxation For 10 Years

By GODFREY NKEM LEMCHI

In recent weeks both the Federal Government by the proposed National Tax reform, and states like Lagos State government have been vigorously enlightening the people on the need to pay tax as it is their civic responsibility. Lagos State in her tax drive have gone to the extent of enlisting the services of notable citizens like some Bishops, Captain of industries, past political and military leaders and imams to sensitize the people on the purpose for paying tax which is to be used for the development of the state. The campaign show-cased the various development provisions like the current roads expansions and renovations currently going on in the state, the refurnishing renovation and reequipping of some health institutions with tax payers money.
Indeed by Nigerian perception of governance the efforts of the present administration in Lagos State attract kudos. Nonetheless, we must not be unmindful that provisions of infrastructure by any government more so when billions of naira are made available as monthly or quarterly allocation to them in a country that earn only from one revenue source more than $2.4 billion dollars daily is not a feat but a prime function that ought to be done and not a favour that should be celebrated. This is in line with the words of Thomas Jefferson; that the care of human life and happiness and not destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of a good government.
Subsequently, there is another statement of logic by proponents of tax payment by the masses that tax is a means for redistribution of wealth in the nation. This writer is highly incensed by this postulation because it is presently the last reason impoverished Nigerians will buy due to the gap between the have and the have not. The question the advocates of this theory must give an answer to for purpose of credibility is, what category and percentage of the masses actually hold this wealth that should be redistributed? Is it the over 85 percent of the population that wallops in abject poverty or the stupendous wealth of about 15 percent that is in the hands of serving and past political, military leaders that conspired to rape and steal our collective wealth?
The answer is obviously on the latter category of whom the government should call up to pay taxes for redistribution of our collective wealth at their disposal and not the poor masses that have been deprived of every sense of existence; anything in the contrary is not acceptable. The government at all levels if they are sincere in addressing the anomalies and if they are sensitive and remorseful in respect of the plight of the average Nigeria's that have been reduced to sub human by the wicked activities of the past leaders as a first instance for compensation, they should endeavour to exempt every Nigeria that earns below three hundred and sixty thousand naira per annum as income tax payment for a minimum period of ten years.
This position is further buttressed by the fact that the current high inflation rate, joblessness, severe economic downturn, almost zero energy and good water provision, high transportation cost and lack of quality and affordable medical services have had an enormous toil on the poor masses that have little or nothing to show as belonging to this richly endowed country.
Therefore any coercion or request by any government for the poor to pay an extra kobo as tax from their meager resources in whatever form or guise amounts to insensitivity, wickedness and treachery, and ought to be resisted and the orchestrated propaganda and policy ignored. For purpose of clarity and record, this writer is not against paying of tax but is against demanding from the poor that have been impoverished in all ramifications to indulge in tax paying. The government at all levels should channel their appeal and conviction to the rich in the country. They know them and if not all of them enjoy their patronage and were made by the government both presently and in the past. When government compels these rich people to pay their taxes and not the poor that are struggling to survive, then the actual redistribution of wealth to which taxation represent would seem to be in place.The Lagos State government in particular, I must advise them with the benefit of hind sight that any aggressive attempt to pursue a tax drive or implement a tax policy that does not recognize the sufferings of the poor or common man in Lagos amounts to provocation.
I appreciate the need to enhance revenue generation by taxation of the people for development purposes and sustainability of democracy in the State.
However, it is expedient and very clear that when a people loses trust and confidence on their leaders and people in governance owing to past betrayal of hopes, neglect and unfulfilled promises of dividend of democracy while in the glaring face of enormous wealth and affluence of a minority few, any more infliction of pain on their psyche and insensitivity to their plight may provoke them to undermine democracy.
I will rather advice that government at all levels must endeavour to win the confidence of the people back before making any further demands in whatever form on them be it in taxation. With the level of poverty and suffering of the greater masses of our people it is not inappropriate to ask for complete exemption from payment of tax or any levy from any citizen whose income is below three hundred and sixty thousand naira per annum (N360,000) per annum, for period of ten years.
If the present administration at all levels in our country believed they are a democratic government that is elected by the people and truly responsible and represented by them, then they have no choice than to do this request because that is the will of the common people in our country who have been dehumanized by poverty. It is an absolute irony that a country that is blessed and so rich will have his common people suffering tremendously.
The absurdity in demanding for tax payment from the common people now stems from the fact that we operate a wealth dichotomy in the nation were an average political office holder apart from very high salary has other allowances such as between 250% to 300% on furniture, same goes for housing etc. plus many conveniences. Note that all these benefits come from our collective wealth from sources that will be listed below as our sources of revenue and as well from taxation. What it means is that taxing the already famished poor people in the country is to use the proceeds to sustain this rich citizen in the bracket of political office holders and their compatriot in the public and private sectors. Remuneration for leaders and those in governance must be adjusted, be it in the executive, legislative, councils and public sector to reflect the level of our macro economic growth. If the various government are sincere and committed to alleviating poverty they should do what the government in Ivory Coast did recently by slashing the pump price of fuel and reducing their outrageous salary. Past political, military and public office holders and leaders must as a matter of national policy i,e made to account for the source of their stupendous wealth vis a vis their income during service to the nation. All government over bloated contracts to cronies' friends and relations which were not done or properly done should be probed and appropriate sanction meted and recovery made.
Nigerian government at all level generate a lot of economic resources from oil, value added tax (VAT) custom excise, import and export duties and corporate taxes to name but a few. Subsequently the government has many untapped sources for generating enormous revenue such as in the area of gas which is currently being flared, tourism, forestry, Agriculture, mineral resource as in gold, bauxite, tin ore, timber, rubber, coal and cocoa etc.
Many of these untapped resources are currently being illegally mined by some rich criminals and their cronies to the detriment of the entire nation. Government cannot deny being unaware of these economic saboteurs of which some of them are people formerly in position of authority in the government and the country.
What Nigeria's needs and demand from the government and over their leaders are prudent management of or our enormous resources and transparency. Leaders must endeavour to situate development issues visa vis the resources available by efficient resource utilization through improved budget system, adhering to fiscal federated policy demands, paying attention to issues of leakages of finds and lick of medium and long economic frame work for the economic development of the nation.
I believe that if all these measures arc performed, their will he sufficient resources for the government at all level, which will be use for provision of development and dividend of democracy.
I strongly wish to advocate that this concession be given to the common man by complexly exempting them from any form of taxation for a n4nimum of ten years.

Godfrey Nkem Lemchi wrote in from Lagos.