Tax Reforms Not Just About Revenue, Says Presidential Aide
The tax reforms driven by President Bola Tinubu are focused on empowering, supporting and building a better economic future for young Nigerians to thrive, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Citizenship and Leadership, Ms Rinsola Abiola, has said.
Similarly, Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zach Adedeji, urged youths to be more involved in tax matters in order to have a clear understanding of how it works and the benefits they stand to derive from taxation.
The duo spoke at a Youth and Tax town hall meeting jointly organised by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Citizenship and Leadership (OSSAP-CL) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
Ms Abiola assured that Nigeria’s proposed tax reforms are not just about revenue collection but also about opportunity, empowerment, and national inclusion.
“A lot has been said about the proposed tax reforms and I wish to assure everyone present here today, and indeed all other young people across the country, that these reforms have been crafted with the best interests of young people at heart, whether as professionals and salary earners, or business owners.
“By fostering entrepreneurship and job creation. Young people contribute to expanding the tax base and generating revenue for national development,” she said.
The FIRS chairman noted that building a culture of voluntary tax compliance lies in engaging Nigeria’s young majority who make up more than 60% of the population.
“Taxation is both a fiscal tool and a social contract,” Adedeji, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Research and Statistics, Associate Prof. Aisha Mahmoud Haman, said.
“It is the foundation of public trust and the most sustainable means by which governments meet their obligations to the people,” he added.
He acknowledged the longstanding public perception of taxation as a burden, but said the FIRS is actively working to rebuild that relationship.
“Our role at the Federal Inland Revenue Service is not simply to collect taxes but to build a culture of voluntary compliance, transparency, accountability, and most crucially, inclusion.
“If we harness this energy productively, Nigeria can become one of the most competitive economies in the world. But if we ignore it, we risk deepening economic exclusion, unemployment, and social tension.”
He unveiled several youth-focused initiatives, including the Young Tax Champions Programme, designed to recruit students and young graduates as ambassadors of tax education across the country.
“This is about turning every youth into a tax expert, and about cultivating a generation that values civic responsibility and economic participation,” he said.
