The Chairman of the presidential committee on tax policy and fiscal reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, has dismissed any plans to engage Alpha-Beta Consulting or other consultants for tax collection.
Speaking during a town hall meeting hosted by Channels Television on Monday, Oyedele addressed concerns about using external consultants like Alpha-Beta, a firm known for handling tax collection for Lagos state and linked to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He described reliance on consultants for tax collection as a major economic challenge, emphasizing that governments should not depend on external firms for such critical functions.
“In fact, we debated at the committee level about including a provision in the law that prohibits governments from using consultants to collect taxes. We see this as one of the biggest economic problems,” Oyedele stated.
“I can confirm 100 percent that there is no plan whatsoever to use consultants for this purpose.”
According to Oyedele, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) already possesses the infrastructure needed for efficient tax collection, particularly through its TaxPro Max platform.
Minor adjustments to the system, he noted, are sufficient to implement the proposed reforms.
“For instance, once these bills are passed, we can simply update the system to require companies like MTN to indicate the states where VAT returns are generated,” Oyedele explained.
He added that similar measures would apply to other large corporations, such as the Dangote Group and financial institutions, ensuring compliance without external assistance.
‘Governors Were Consulted on Tax Reform Bills’
Addressing concerns about consultation, Oyedele emphasized that state governors were actively engaged during the drafting process of the tax reform bills.
“This is not a rushed process. We consulted extensively. We had a session with the governors’ forum and two sessions with the national economy council. We also spent almost a full day with finance commissioners from across Nigeria,” he said.
Oyedele further revealed that the committee held multiple meetings with heads of internal revenue services from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Letters were sent to governors in each geopolitical zone, offering detailed discussions with their cabinets.
“Some governors didn’t have time for us, but for those who did, like the governor of Lagos, we had thorough engagements. In Lagos, a joint committee between my team and the state cabinet worked on the details for over six months,” he added.
He maintained that the committee remains open to further consultations, dismissing claims that stakeholders were not adequately involved.