The Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Tax Policy and Fiscal Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, has dismissed concerns over a clause in the controversial Tax Reform Bill that was removed from the final draft.
The clause bothers on outsourcing tax collection by government’s under the proposed reform.
Reacting to this concern during a Channels TV town hall meeting on the Tax Reform Bill on Monday, Oyedele said the federal government does not intend to outsource tax revenue collection as being speculated.
With particular reference to Alpha-Beta, a company linked to President Bola Tinubu, Oyedele denied claims that Alpha-Beta would be involved in federal tax collection
Alpha-Beta, a private consulting firm, currently assists Lagos State in tracking and reconciling internally generated revenue (IGR) in exchange for a commission.
The firm has long been the subject of controversy due to its connections to the President.
Oyedele, however, confirmed that there are no plans to extend this arrangement to the federal government.
“In fact, we had a very interesting debate at the committee level. I wanted to include a clause in the law that says no government should use a consultant to collect tax. We believe that this is one of the biggest problems in our economy today,” Oyedele said.
While Oyedele had proposed a clause in the Tax Reform Bill banning the use of consultants for tax collection, it was not included in the final version of the bills.
Despite this, Oyedele noted that the federal government remains committed to direct tax collection.
“So, I can confirm to you 100 per cent that there is no plan whatsoever to use consultants for any of this,” Oyedele added.
Oyedele also responded to concerns raised by some state governors who claimed they were not adequately consulted during the drafting of the bills.
He denied these allegations, stating that his committee had engaged with the Governors’ Forum and held consultations with several state leaders.
“This is not rushed at all. We consulted. We had one session with the governors’ forum. We consulted the governors. They won’t say we didn’t consult them. What they are saying is that we need to consult more, which we agree with because consultation never ends. Even after passing the bills, you must continue to consult,” he said.
“Some of them did not have time for us. For those who did, we appreciate the governor of Lagos. He said, ‘You know what, let’s even set up a committee between my cabinet and your team to work through the details.’ We worked for more than six months.”
