₦airaland Forum

In Europe and America, their forebearers built infrastructures, social amenities, increased social welfare budgets, raised minimum wage and entrenched strong institutions before they started taxing the citizens.



But in Nigeria, government is taxing the citizens for what they are yet to provide, which to me , doesn't make any sense.


With low Minimum wage and no infrastructure, plus a struggling population that provides basically all social amenities for itself,there is no cogent reason to tax them.


When you tax a struggling population,then you re taxing poverty and this would push many people further down the poverty line.

because he scammed yal first time and u fell for it...

"We will remove subsidy on fuel, education currency and electricity,etc so we can do more for Nigeria .... money don enter executive, legislator and judiciary pocket ....

He has started again.,..we will tax you so we can do more for you....as usual continue hailing him

Very dumb take. Which money was used to create infrastructure in US before taxation. Quote me, there is no economy in the West where development preceded taxation, social amenities... US or Europe!

ogashman:
In Europe and America, their forebearers built infrastructures, social amenities, increased social welfare budgets, raised minimum wage and entrenched strong institutions before they started taxing the citizens.



But in Nigeria, government is taxing the citizens for what they are yet to provide, which to me , doesn't make any sense.


With low Minimum wage and no infrastructure, plus a struggling population that provides basically all social amenities for itself,there is no cogent reason to tax them.


When you tax a struggling population,then you re taxing poverty and this would push many people further down the poverty line.

Let's use London that you Nigerians love to run to and claim saner climes , how was London developed from the Romans era till modern day :

Depending on which era of London you look at, the source of funding changes significantly:
​
1. Roman London (The Foundation)
​When the Romans founded Londinium around 50 AD, the major infrastructure—like the first bridge, the London Wall, and the massive forum—was largely funded by the Roman State. This was a strategic military and economic investment. The labor often came from the Roman military, and the funding was drawn from the imperial treasury (which was itself filled by taxes collected across the Empire).
​
2. The Great Rebuilding (1666)
​After the Great Fire of London destroyed most of the city, the rebuilding was a massive financial undertaking. It used two main sources:
​The Coal Tax: Parliament passed a special tax on every "tun" of coal coming into London. This "tax money" specifically paid for public projects like rebuilding St. Paul’s Cathedral, 52 parish churches, and the Guildhall.
​Private Credit: Most houses and shops were rebuilt by private citizens using their own money or by borrowing from wealthy neighbors. The City of London also borrowed heavily from private lenders to fix streets and sewers, securing those loans against future tax revenue.
​
3. The Victorian Boom (19th Century)
​This was the era of "Private Mania." Surprisingly little "public tax money" went into the early railways or the docks.
​Railways: Almost all of London’s major railway lines and stations (like Waterloo or St Pancras) were built by private joint-stock companies seeking a profit.
​Roads: Many roads were "Turnpikes," meaning private trusts built them and charged users a toll to pay back the cost.
​Sewers: In contrast, the massive Victorian sewer system (built by Joseph Bazalgette) was funded by the Metropolitan Board of Works through public levies and government-backed loans.
​
4. Modern London
​Today, London’s growth is a hybrid. Major projects like Crossrail (The Elizabeth Line) or the London Underground upgrades are funded through:
​Government Grants: Direct tax money from the UK Treasury.
​Business Rates: A specific tax on local businesses.
​Fares: Money paid by commuters.
​Land Value Capture: Charging developers who benefit from new transit lines being built near their property.

Analysis thanks to gemini .

We are not yet there so we should not yet tax our citizens is the same argument made by the forebearers of those who are now being taxed today in Europe and America.

The same people who are now being taxed today in those developed countries were once a struggling people like us today.

ogashman:
In Europe and America, their forebearers built infrastructures, social amenities, increased social welfare budgets, raised minimum wage and entrenched strong institutions before they started taxing the citizens.
.

I nearly laughed out loud when I read the above.

An anecdote from 1930's UK...a gTuy got a better job, which meant increased wages, but they still were not sufficient enough for his family, and to make matters worse, he passed the threshold for welfare payments, thanks to his better job...which meant that ......at the end, his problem never end (and he was still paying taxes..).

Europeans and Americans did not build better infrastructures and social anemites just like that, they had existing tax systems, and they were also industrial socieites. And even up till today they charge tax, and up till today, their people complain about it. That's why there are tax havens...it's not just awa corrupt leaders that use them...they are used more often by europeans and americans wishing to escape high taxes.

Okay, you want government to build all the anemites...with which money. Our education and health care budgets are less than what one university and one hospital spend in a year in the USA. That means you want our government to borrow money to the tune of hundreds of trillions of naira. Hundreds of trillions of naira. THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE AT ALL.

Our revenue is falling, and yes, government has not diversifed the income. But all those euriopean and american countries were in some aspects worse before they got better. London has only really improved in the last 50 years...even when we were a colony of the UK, London in some parts was worse than even Lagos.

Oga, better realize that countries develop because they have an industrial base, and because taxes...two things that you guys have rejected in nigeria since independence. You want your government to sell oil, cocoa, and so on and share the money among you so you can live middle class life? You know that we don't set the prices of what we sell, right? You know our populaiton is growing, right?

Drop politics...if we had been serious about tax since 1960, maybe we would have had better government by now.

GSM came in and charged extra high prices, and people shouted, 24 years ago, that they were burdening poor nigerians. Today, we have improved internet and telephony, with a decent enough infrastructure to back it up, because we paid them their price. We didn't wait for government to come and put up GSM infrastructure for us.

Tax is a social contract. We all have a role to play.

ebukal67x:
Tax is a social contract. We all have a role to play.

In Nigeria, it isn't a social contract. It's paying allowance to politicians to sponsor their lavish and terrorist lifestyles.

Because he is dumb, the guy is naturally unfit to lead Nigeria

chatinent:
In Nigeria, it isn't a social contract. It's paying allowance to politicians to sponsor their lavish and terrorist lifestyles.

The reason why politicans loot is because most of their looting comes from oil money, not from taxes.

If 90% of taxable nigerians were paying taxes , and feeling the pinch, they would not watch and stand by while politicans steal their money. It's because most of the income we use for our budget comes from oil, and less than 20% comes from actual tax that politicans can get away with stealing, provided they throw some crumbs to their immediate constituents.

Buccalcavity2:
Very dumb take. Which money was used to create infrastructure in US before taxation. Quote me, there is no economy in the West where development preceded taxation, social amenities... US or Europe!

See dem. You have left the land of the fake guru startegist and quickly involved the US.

The same US your lawmakers steal looted funds to go invest. To you Nigeria is like the US because you see, hear and smell no wrong from your kinsman Tinubu

You have wasted your time chanting sai darling daddy from back to back only to realise he was a total dusaster because you want to hype a fake certificate holder on the basis of tribalism

DatNiggaDaz:


See dem. You have left the land of the fake guru startegist and quickly involved the US.

The same US your lawmakers steal looted funds to go invest. To you Nigeria is like the US because you see, hear and smell no wrong from your kinsman Tinubu

You have wasted your time chanting sai darling daddy from back to back only to realise he was a total dusaster because you want to hype a fake certificate holder on the basis of tribalism

You no go cry ke? Fruitless journey year on year. Read op write up first o.

You make some valid points. However, with the current economic reforms, some of these taxes are inevitable. We just have to endure a bit longer.