The Oba of Lagos, HRM, Oba Rilwanu Akiolu, has commended the Federal Government’s new taxation reforms, describing them as a bold and necessary step towards repositioning Nigeria for sustainable development.
 
This was as Federal Government has been told that multiple taxation is hurting businesses, especially the private sector, and placing a huge burden on final consumers. 
 
Meanwhile, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, said many Nigerians lack sufficient knowledge of the new tax laws and are misrepresenting them.
 
Speaking at the weekend after a cultural procession to end the 2025 Adamu Orisa Festival, popularly called Eyo Festival, at his Iga Iduganran Palace, Akiolu maintained that the reforms would move the country forward if properly understood and implemented.

However, drawing inspiration from the Bible and the Qur’an, Akiolu urged Nigerians to embrace civic responsibility, particularly in paying taxes. As the Bible says, ‘Give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and give unto the Lord what is the Lord’s.’ The Qur’an also teaches the same principle. Paying tax is a duty to God and to the nation, he said.

The monarch said he had long advocated reforms in Nigeria’s tax collection system, describing the old structure as ineffective and outdated.  To avoid corruption, he added, “The Federal Government should disclose what is allocated to the states and local councils every month. The states and local councils should, in turn, disclose the contracts they have awarded and the jobs to be done so that right-thinking Nigerians can monitor what is going on,” he said.

ON multiple taxation, the government has been asked to take urgent steps towards tax harmonisation, especially as it affects the private sector players.
 
It was also pointed out that the federal, state and local governments often tax the same products and services, thereby escalating the final costs of products and services and pushing the burden to the consumers.
 
A statement, yesterday, noted that the founder and Chief Executive  Officer of Pomogranate Nigeria Limited (PNL), a third-party logistics company, Wole Elusakin, made the observations in Abeokuta on Friday, at the end of the company’s management budget session and retreat.
 
According to the statement, Elusakin warns that many businesses may fold up if the government fails to act urgently.  He expressed the hope that the new tax laws would address the issue and urged the Federal Government to do more in communicating the policy for better public understanding.
OYINTILOYE, a former lawmaker, stated this while speaking with newsmen yesterday in Osogbo.
 
He said the lack of proper understanding of the new tax laws led to misconceptions, misrepresentation and suspicion of the government’s intentions, calling for massive and sustained enlightenment on the new law.
 
According to him, widespread misinformation about the tax law has left many Nigerians, including educated people, confused about when and how their earnings will be taxed.  He added that the alleged discrepancies between the bill passed by the National Assembly and the versions published in the official gazette further contributed to the confusion.