Beancounter94:


Most of the good amenities in developed countries come from the high taxes, and high bills they pay.

I know one doctor who refused to japa to the UK, because in the UK, his taxes will eat half his salary.

When I hear Nigerians saying that the government should provide good amenities, before they pay high taxes, I laugh. All the good amenities in foreign countries...were paid for by high taxes and by high bills on the populace. Abroad, fuel production works because people pay for petrol at market price, not subsidised price. Water bills are very high, electricity bills can be high and all the roads are tolled...plus there are things like congestion charge.

We don't have good things in Nigeria because our economy is dependent on oil...whose price we no control and whose price is rarely at a level that would sustain all of us...Meanwhile, our tax to gdp ratio is 6.1%, we tax 30% of the population, and leave the rest free...and we subsidize petrol and power...so much that the companies there cannot make profits to build new refinereis and power stations, and exisitng ones are bad because they have been run at a loss.

Serious countries with all the anemities pay taxes at rates of 46-51%, and also have much higher tax to gdp ratios. And their gdps are higher than Nigeria.

What makes me annoyed about Nigerians is that you guys expect a Ferrari at the cost of a toyota. You don't want to do the hard work of building a working economy, nor do you want to do the hard work of putting pressure on your politicians. Most of you just want your side in power so that you can get crumbs from the table...APC or PDP.

And no, I do not support Buhari, nor do I support PDP, or any party. I just know that the cold reality is Nigeria is a poor and broke country, and the stealing that happens on top makes it worse.

BennyDGreat:


Imagine paying 46-51% tax and then it gets embezzled with nothing to show for it.
You don't seem to live in Nigeria.

The politicians will never allow some group of people rise against them in any way.
They pay more attention now and very ruthless in dealing with any antagonistic attempt.

dominique:
It was yesterday I was pondering the sudden steep gas prices when I remembered that the gas marketers enjoyed a 2 year tax holiday. The tax holiday has since elapsed and they have to resume paying taxes which of course will reflect on the price of the product. It happens everywhere in the world. I wish they didn't have to do it now that everything else is so expensive. There's no cheaper alternative of anything in this country

budaatum:


With Nigeria having immense amounts of gas of its own, this is a very good development, and I hope a new vat rate of 50% is what is imposed, because local production of gas is not only much cheaper, it would provide local employment too.

Akwamkpuruamu:


And you think that local production of gas to meet daily domestic demands happens overnight abj

377:


This is the reason Nigerians have to hold their leaders accountable for the taxes collected. The developed countries spend the money for the development of the country and the provision of basic and essential amenities for the people.
If there is a has leak in where I live, it will only take up to 30 minutes for the gas company to send their staff to investigate and fix it. It will take not more than 10 minutes for the police to show up if there's a brawl.

you dont write for writing sake. Can you compare the standard of living in those places to here in nigeria you no the poverty and unemployment rate in this country can you compare them with your so called developed country, please be guided

Jamesbiodun:
They sha want to make life hard for people but what they don't know is when people rise up against the government, there won't be anywhere for them to escape

dominique:
It was yesterday I was pondering the sudden steep gas prices when I remembered that the gas marketers enjoyed a 2 year tax holiday. The tax holiday has since elapsed and they have to resume paying taxes which of course will reflect on the price of the product. It happens everywhere in the world. I wish they didn't have to do it now that everything else is so expensive. There's no cheaper alternative of anything in this country

377:

you dont write for writing sake. Can you compare the standard of living in those places to here in nigeria you no the poverty and unemployment rate in this country can you compare them with your so called developed country, please be guided

Collinsanele:


They live by taxes, yes!
But tell me how their standard of living and their economy is.
Tell me how their employment stats is.
Can you compare their social amenities with ours.
Can you compare their life expectancy with ours.
I don't mean to sound abrasive but please think.
You may not be affected but many are dying due to economic hardship.
Ideas not money liberate a nation - Philip Emagwali

LikeAking:

Why The Nigerian Manufacturing Industry Of The 80's Crashed

The reason is simple, cheap goods from China. Cheap goods from China crashed manufacturing across the globe. Some people have been blaming the dead beat govt, but the honest truth is our importers flooded the market with cheap Chinese good.

These cheap Chinese good have helped many Nigerian buy certain commodities that were big deals back them.

Its obvious made in Nigeria goods are too expensive for Nigerian, so what ever product we are manufacturing in Nigeria should have the Nigerian price "Cheap" attached to it.

We have to make sure we are not over charging our people in the Name of manufacturing.

Please drop your own opinion.

iLegendd:


We want to pay tax, but there is no transparency in how the money is being spent.

If you can't trust your leaders with all the free trillions from oil, how can you trust them with money from tax? A country without a functional law shouldn't ask for tax.

If you squander the school fees your dad gave you on women, there is a high chance you'll spend the ones your mom added as extra you on drinks.

proclinician:


Are you of the opinion that Nigerians don't pay tax abi wetin? What sort of persons with no touch of reality una be self? Just existing as zombies? Wetin de happen

blaise26abj:


Whatever they hoped to gain by removing the vat will be lost and government will lose more . People will revert back to kerosene and firewood . Anything to reduce cost .
If the government is serious , they should give new investors in local gas some tax breaks or equipment importation duty waivers . Let the local production reach a reasonable point of sustaining a part of our LPG demand then the country can return the taxes .

Ovamboland:


Nigeria tax 6% of GDP, Ghana 16%, Egypt 25%, South Africa 29%.

You can see the relationship in economic advancement with increased tax collection rate, you're free to cling to your poverty club and bring leaders that will cancel taxation and keep you tied forever in the poverty club

babatee90:
most of us are in developed countries, you are right we pay tax but they inturn provide basic and social amenities to their citizens…Nigerians pay electricity bills but live in Darkness…they are being taxed on their monthly salaries but yet die from road accidents due to bad roads…so what essential amenities are you talking about?

blaise26abj:


Someone once said that when Nigeria truly starts paying taxes , that is when all hell will be let loose in Nigeria . Most people survive without paying taxes directly hence the general notion that it is oil money (not my money) they are stealing . However when you remove money directly from Nigerians , then accountability will be demanded in full force .

Imagine labourer collects 2500 per day and he has to pay 300 naira out of it to government and he hears that someone stole it , then the person should be ready to meet his maker . Multiply that 1 person by 60 percent of Nigerians living below poverty line .

Beancounter94:


The problem is that Nigerians have a flawed way of seeing how the economy works.

The idea is that we sell whatever raw material we have, and share the money.

But the problem with that model is 1) it stopped working in the 1970's 2) even if we split the country, not one region would be able to keep that model 3)the prices of whatever we sell are not controlled by us.

Nigeria taxes about 30% of the taxable population, with a tax to gdp ratio lower than that of Niger republic.

But telling people to face that reality gets you labelled a Buhari supporter. When we faced the same problem long before Buhari came.

QueenVaji:


ur very very stupid..we Nigerians have always been paying the more taxes than anywhere in the world with nothing to show for it...pls shut ur mouth u sound like an illiterate

proclinician:


Let me make one thing clear to you in as much as I'm having a very difficult time knowing where to start from because you arguments are so flawed that I wonder your level of education and exposure. Let me assume you are a degree holder and you have managed to get a job with some company where they give u some appointment letter. If you manage to go through ur appointment letter you will see a breakdown of what constitutes your annual salary. First there's a basic salary followed by allowance and TAX out of which when you deduct the tax value from the gross you have your Net salary. This TAX is your own share of the tax paid by the company to the govt provided it us a registered company and your income from the registered company qualifies as a taxable income unless otherwise stated by law.

I work on fiverr as a freelance using verified a U.S seller account and I pay tax to the u.s government. Fiverr is a registered company based in the u.s which pays tax to the u.s govt. This amount is then shared among all sellers in fiverr to a certain degree which we all pay since fiverr operates on a gig economy and our income on the platform qualifies as taxable.

That said, your next argument fit be eeehh but not all Nigerians work in a registered company. Some Nigerians are jobless, just managing to survive hence do not pay tax. Others have business that are not registered hence do not pay tax.

Irrespective of how lame this line of thought sounds, I will also need to remind you that this is how it is all over the world. If you have no taxable income, you're not taxed. Person way de tax u where he want make u bring the money from? Provided you have a taxable income which is what u earn from a registered company, you pay.

Next time u get a job take time to read ur appointment letter.

Nauttyprof:


Why didn't the government solve the problem of local production first? We have gas in excess but they lack the knowledge on how this can be readily available for the citizens.

You should have asked the question on why there are imported LPG when we have it in abundance? Would you have coal in abundance and readily available here and still go to the neighbouring west African country to look for this?

Gas is now more expensive that it used to be thanks to the government whose aim is to inflict hardship on the masses.

budaatum:


It is not government that will solve the problem of local production for you! Government will not grow rice for you, nor will government pump gas for you!

All government can do is provide an environment for you to want to do those things for yourself by banning imports, for instance, so I can charge you more for my local rice which will incentivise me to plant more to sell to you and earn more. Same with vat on imported gas which will make imported more expensive and make you buy my cheaper local gas.

I mean, you don't expect me to labour on my farm or pump my gas because of my love for you, right, but because of the profit I intend to make.

Prof, do you expect me to labour in charity on your behalf so that you do not starve? If so, wake up please because there is absolutely no reason for me to love you that much!

As for why imported is more expensive, the reason is because we are too lazy to grow our own and import instead. If I grow my local own, it may seem more expensive for you the buyer, but the economy benefits because I'd be paying wages to those who help me produce which increases gdp and benefits society in general since my employees will spend locally, and I'd be paying local taxes which would benefit schools and hospitals and roads etc.

Nauttyprof:


Not the government who will solve local gas? Did you just type this?

Maybe I should ask you who own all Natural gas found within the country. Citizens? It seems to me that you probably want to be on the side of the government deliberately.

Natural gas, mineral resources and crude oil are all owned by the government.

So, tell me again if the government isn't the problem.

Minjim:

Some of us have already paid the taxes. I pay tax monthly and also pay VAT.
Now, what have they done with those taxes?
You have to show us what you've done if you want us to pay more

budaatum:


Unfortunately, you don't make them show you what they do with the tax you already pay, and when they tax you more you'd very likely just pay it.

Trust me. They love the fact that you don't make them show you what they do with the tax you pay monthly.

Hopefully, it will be a consideration of yours and many of us at the next election where we make the tax we pay monthly and also VAT more of an issue than the ethnicity or tribe or religion of those who ask us to elect them.