Nigeria Governors’ Forum, JTB Collaborates to Increase Tax Revenue by 200%

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has announced a collaboration with the Joint Tax Board (JTB) to increase overall tax revenue by 200%.

The disclosure is contained in a statement released by the forum and signed by NGF Chairman, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State during its second meeting of the year held in Abuja on Wednesday, where he said the governors had pledged their support to Tax Data (D4T).

Fayemi in the statement said that the Data for Tax (D4T) initiative envisions an ecosystem where financial and non-financial data on all individuals and economic transactions will be brought together in a central national tax data bank with the identification number national (NIN) as the main unifying code.

What the NGF says in the release

Fayemi said in the statement that forum members received a presentation from the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), who is also Chairman of the Joint Tax Board (JTB), Mr. Muhammad M. Nami, on the Initiative. national tax data.

The statement reads in part, ”Members heard from the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Service (FIRS) and Chairman of the Joint Tax Board (JTB), Mr. Muhammad M. Nami, on the national Data for Tax initiative.

“Members pledged their support for the project which aims to extend the country’s tax net to at least 90% of all eligible taxpayers and pledged to work with the JTB to increase the country’s total tax revenue by up to 200% , as expected. ‘

The governors also deliberated on the creation of agricultural estates for groups of small producers in order to increase the supply of agricultural inputs as well as access to products in the markets.

In addition, the statement noted that the Director General of the Office of Public Enterprises, Alex Okoh, briefed state governors on the proposed sale of five power plants under the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC).

He pointed out that the presentation was part of the consultation process with the state governments that are shareholders of these plants.

Here is the full text of the statement issued after the NGF meeting

We, the members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum at our second meeting of the year 2022, deliberated on several matters of national importance and concluded as follows:

1. Members heard from the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Service (FIRS) and Chairman of the Joint Tax Board (JTB), Mr. Muhammad M. Nami, on the national Data for Tax initiative.

The Data for Tax (D4T) initiative envisions an ecosystem in which financial and non-financial data on all individuals and economic transactions will be brought together in a central national tax data bank with the National Identification Number (NIN) as the code. main unifier. Members pledged their support for the project which aims to extend the country’s tax net to at least 90% of all eligible taxable persons and pledged to work with the JTB to increase the country’s total tax revenue by up to 200% as foreseen.

2. The United Nations National Food Systems Officer and Permanent Secretary for Budget and National Planning, Ms. Olusola Idowu, gave a presentation on the national path to food systems transformation.

The role of governors in the plan is to prioritize the establishment of agricultural settlement estates for groups of small producers, including women and youth, in order to increase the supply of agricultural inputs, the use machinery, access to extension services and market access.

The Forum affirmed its commitment to the ideals of the program that many states are already pursuing and pledged to work with the federal government to expand the development of these settlements across the country.

3. Mr. Alex Okoh, Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), briefed the State Governors on the proposed sale of five (5) power plants under the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC). The presentation was part of the consultation process with the state governments that are shareholders of the factories.
4. The Forum also received a presentation on the status of the country’s digital ID program by Engr. Aliyu A. Aziz, Chief Executive Officer/Chief Executive Officer, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

To bolster the national registration exercise which has so far seen the issuance of over 74 million National Identification Numbers (NINs) to Nigerians across the country, the Governors pledged to support the program through a series of measures, including supporting awareness-raising activities, integrating the NIN into public services, and working with telecom providers to improve network infrastructure for sustainable identity registration and authentication. Governors reiterated the need to complete the harmonization and integration of databases, in order to reduce the wearing of multiple identifications (IDs) by citizens, noting that the ability to uniquely identify people is extremely important for social security and border management between States. The NIMC is to liaise with state governments through its various state coordinators, in addition to working with the NGF Secretariat.

5. A program update on NG-CARES was presented by the Program Manager of the NGF Secretariat, Ms. Firo Elhassan Kaka on the Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) Programme. All 36 states in the federation have already received program eligibility letters, and all state scores as of June 2020 are eligible for verification as prerequisite scores. These will be assessed for reimbursement in the next verification exercise.
6. The NGF Secretariat Health Advisor, Dr. Ahmad Abdulwahab, also provided an update on the country’s health security interventions, in particular the COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Project (COPREP) and the Supply Fund. Basic Health Care (BHPF). Members also discussed the status of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lassa fever outbreak, the need to improve the quality of polio campaigns, as well as the establishment of medical services. State Emergency and Ambulance Services (SEMSA) with accredited health facilities and required personnel. .
7. From February 23-25, 2022, state governors will be joined by a delegation from Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, to deepen government engagement on routine immunization, health system strengthening and immunization against the COVID19 in the country.
8. Finally, the Forum congratulated the outgoing Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Willie Obiano, who joined the NGF meeting for the last time before handing over to his successor, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, on 17 March 2022. Governor Obiano has been applauded by his colleagues for his impressive performance in Anambra State and his contributions to the growth of the Nigeria Governors Forum, and in particular for significantly improving governance outcomes for the people of Anambra State and for overseeing a smooth transition to the new Governor.

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