MTN Nigeria and the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) have canvassed urgent tax reforms to boost national development.
They made the call on Wednesday in Abuja at the ongoing 27th annual Tax Conference of CITN.
Both organisations highlighted the importance of public-private collaboration in fostering fiscal transparency and sustainable national development.
The four-day event has as its theme: “Taxation for Development: Policy, Law and Implementation”.
Speaking during a plenary session, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of MTN Nigeria, Mr Modupe Kadri, called for greater collaboration and tax compliance across sectors.
Kadiri informed that MTN Nigeria in 2024 alone, contributed N48.6 billion in taxes, underlining the company’s commitment to fulfilling its obligations.
“Tax compliance is critical to national development. At MTN Nigeria, we are fully committed to our tax obligations because we understand the role they play in building a stronger country,” he said.
He advocated reforms that promote policy clarity, reduce compliance burdens, and ensure that tax revenues were transparently and effectively utilised.
In his remarks, the CITN President and Council Chairman, Mr Samuel Agbeluyi, described the pending Tax Reform Bill as a critical opportunity to reframe Nigeria’s fiscal landscape.
Agbeluyi, the 16th President of CITN, said that unified action from both public and private sectors was required to drive meaningful change in the tax system.
“If we are serious about rebuilding trust, driving investment, and funding development sustainably, then tax reform must move from conversation to execution,” he said.
He urged political leaders at all levels to show the will required to implement policies that would enhance revenue generation and build public confidence in the system.
In his remarks Mr Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said that one major tax compliance challenge was lack of trust between the tax payer and the tax authority.
He spoke on: “Tax Laws and Administration: Challenges of Compliance.”
Falana said that one of the ways to overcome the challenge was through tax education to create understanding between both parties.
“The issue of trust has introduced such a negative relationship between the tax payer and the tax authority, where the tax payer sees the tax authority as an adversary.
“Tax education is such that we focus on giving understanding to both the tax payer and the tax officials to know that there is need for cooperation,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the week-long event brought together key stakeholders, including tax professionals, government officials, policymakers and regional participants. (NAN)
