Group advocates tax reforms in Bayelsa

A coalition of civil society groups under the auspices of Bayelsa Tax Justice Platform on Thursday advocated reforms in the tax administration process of the state to drive economic development.
Its coordinator, Elizabeth Egbe, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after a strategy meeting in Yenagoa that suitable tax policies could take Bayelsa out of recession.

She noted that members of the tax advocacy group were poised to engage relevant stakeholders to ensure an equitable, affordable and transparent tax system in the state.

Egbe, who noted that taxation was a dominant source of revenue for development, decried the over-reliance on oil revenue to finance government expenditure.

She noted that the existing lapses in the current tax system in Bayelsa were responsible for the poor compliance by tax payers.

She urged the state government to take steps to review its tax policies.
According to her, there is an urgent need to adopt international best practices and involve tax payers in formulating tax policies to make the people comply with tax laws.

“All around the world, taxation remains the major source of revenue to finance government projects; but regrettably, we have not really exploited the tax option due our natural endowments.
“We do believe that with the crash in oil prices and drop in production, the government of Bayelsa will take a deeper interest in tax justice administration.

“The Bayelsa Tax Justice Platform seeks to collaborate with stakeholders to formulate a more transparent and accountable tax system that will not stifle businesses,’’ Egbe said.

She, however, said that the current tax policies excluded the taxpayers and was unfriendly to small businesses, most of which are feeling the impact of the economic downturn.