A Professor of Accounting and Financial Development, Prof. Godwin Oyedokun, has urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to ensure its members understand the basics of the Tax Reform Bill.
Oyedokun, who lectures at Lead City University, Ibadan, gave the advice at a Dialogue on the “Tax Reform Bill” organised by NLC on Saturday.
He said that being knowledgeable would aid effective advocacy and robust discussion on issues surrounding the bill.
“They should peruse the bill so that when they want to talk to the government, they will talk from the position of knowledge that they are known for.
“Certain provisions of this have been construed out there; and if you have better information about it, you will change your perspective and position at times.
“Take for example, I can say that today about 95 per cent of people that are commenting on these tax bills have never opened one page of the bill.
“What people rely on is the kinds of social media messages that people are sending here and there,” he said.
The professor said that certain parts of the bill were meant to improve the lives of workers, urging NLC to set up a team that would investigate the personal income tax rates.
According to him, the rate being proposed in the bill is better than what is currently being used.
“So, I charge NLC to go back to their drawing board, put the correct team together to check this as it affects workers,” he said.
Oyedokun advised NLC to ensure activism for their demand was peaceful and didn’t delay the passage of the bill.
Earlier, NLC President Joe Ajaero urged the government to dialogue with the union on the tax reform bill, to enable his members to make their inputs.
Ajaero said that some aspects of the tax reform bill needed clarifications from the government for better understanding.
“I will implore everybody to read and understand what is embedded in the tax reform bill, I think it is all over the internet now on Google and social media.
“As a matter of fact, the government did not include NLC in the dialogue of the bill,” he said.
Ajaero also appealed to the public to go through the tax reform bill to prevent misinterpretation which could trigger misinformation.
