Governments at all levels have been called upon to redirect spending generated from taxes on things that positively impact the poor masses in society.
Coordinator Rivers State Tax Justice and Governance Platform, Ameachi Kelechi, called in a capacity-building workshop on advocacy strategies and engagement organized by Oxfam Nigeria and Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC) in Port Harcourt.
He explained that the government had spent public finance on luxuries and personal benefits over the years rather than channelling such revenue to infrastructural or human capital development, which will benefit all.
“Unfortunately, governments are not really prioritizing the needs of the everyday people; they are more focused on spending on things that do not drive the uplifting of poor people in society.
“We are having a revenue generation problem in terms of how we collect our taxes; this is because people feel that the government has not been prudent in public finance management
“You see a state or federal government budget, and you find luxury things like SUV cars, capacity building, and pieces of training that do not seriously impact our economic, social or developmental life.
“It’s part of the conversation we are having with a cross-section of Nigerians, the business owners, people in the informal sector, the media. We are trying to raise awareness and advocate for spending dealing with the issues poor people face in the country.
“If we can redirect our spending on developmental issues such as infrastructural and human capital development, it will take the country to another level.
“It is time government becomes more prudent, transparent, and accountable regarding public finance management.
Kelechi further said that most citizens are not aware they have the right to demand accountability and transparency from the government on public finance management.
“Unfortunately, we get so much from oil revenue, even the people do not feel like it is their money; they just think the oil revenue is government money, and they can afford to do whatever they want to do with it.
“These are some of the things we are trying to strategies with citizens and businesses, whether taxes or revenue from oil and gas. it is money that belongs to Nigerian people; they need to monitor it, demand transparency, and monitor the utilization of taxes and other revenue to see that it is used for development.
“So we can move out of this multi-dimensional poverty we suffer today. It is a shame that a country endowed with so many resources is the world’s poverty capital, and all the human development indices are running against us.
“Without our participation in demanding the right kind of expenditure in this country, we will remain poor. Remaining poor means more crime, poverty, inequality, and social exclusion.
“We want to see all these changes; we can only change it when there is awareness, basic and advocacy skills to discuss with state actors; that is what we are trying to do in this workshop today. To see we build the capacity of other stakeholders within the tax Ecosystem to effectively communicate and facilitate their needs with the state actors, including the private sectors so that social services are delivered”.
Delivering a lecture on Advocacy Strategy Development and Engagement, Rita Kigbara said when tax collectors fail to utilize taxes, taxpayers will not be diligent in paying taxes.
“If the government steps up to block the leakages in our system, it will help. If there is accountability on their part, they will ensure people pay taxes; it takes two to tangle, people will be willing to pay tax if they see service delivery”.
Also, State Coordinator National Association of Nigerian Traders, Gloria Akintoye, lamented that traders in Mile One market Port Harcourt pay a levy every month to the government for refusing evacuation. Yet, the government does not fulfill its obligation to that.
“A situation like that is very unwholesome government or whosoever collects the levy should just dispose of the refuse; that way the environment is conducive. It’s time the leaders begin to work for the money collected.”
