Every month, a Lagos-based accountant, Sarah Adeyemi, sees deductions from her salary for taxes and statutory contributions. Yet she still spends heavily on petrol to power her generator, pays private school fees for her children, relies on private hospitals for medical care, and contributes to neighborhood security arrangements.
Her experience reflects a reality familiar to millions of Nigerians who, despite contributing to government revenues, continue to privately fund many of the services taxes are meant to support.
Economists say the issue is not necessarily taxation itself but the growing gap between what citizens contribute and what they receive in return.
The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), in a recent event themed ‘Tax Reality: Ripple Effect on Industry and Commerce,’ argued that strengthening Nigeria’s tax system requires more than policy reform. According to the group, greater transparency, support for businesses, and confidence in the implementation of tax policies are essential to
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