FIRS irritates MAN, MSMEs, telecoms for denying multiple taxation in Nigeria
Leading groups that make up the nation’s organized private sector (OPS) including the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), operators of micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSME) and stakeholders in the telecoms industry have rejected the claims of the Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Babatunde Fowler, that multiple taxation does not exist in the country’s tax system.
FIRS boss had at an interactive session in Lagos, with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) claimed that Nigerian tax system has been reformed under his watch to get rid of instances of multiple taxation.
But in a quick swipe, leading stakeholders in the OPS queried the claims and called for further explanations on the sources of the FIRS claims.
In an interview with the chairman of the Association of Licenced Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Engineer Gbenga Adebayo at a recent media briefing in Lagos, he decried that the sector is currently faced with well over 68 kinds of taxes and the scourge is impeding the speed of progress by networks.
He recalled that issues of multiple tax related crisis have been pitching MTN Nigeria and the government of Kogi State together.
According to him, what has been drawing back the rollout of fibre optic cables to drive the last mile delivery across the country is the multiple taxation dilemma frustrating telecoms Infrastructure Companies (Infracos) in accessing Right of Way (RoW) in states after securing permits from the Federal Ministry of Works to lay their cables.
Business Hilights recalls that while addressing a set youths in Lagos, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola claimed that Infracos are now wiring the country as his ministry had been approving permits for them.
But the truth of the matter is that all the permits so secured from the federal government to dig for laying cables on highways cannot afford Infracos access to dig on the roads because another RoW payment must be made to states hosting those federal roads which boils down to multiple taxation after all.
Besides, some MSME operators who spoke to our correspondents across the federation chided FIRS for the claims of no multiple taxation, saying the scourge remains their major drawback in business development.
