The Federal Inland Revenue Service has kicked against imposing additional taxes and levies on business owners to fund the child’s online access protection bill.

Mathew Osanekwu, who represented the Chairman, FIRS, Mr Zacch Adedeji, said this when he appeared before the House Committee on Justice in Abuja on Tuesday.

The committee is holding a public hearing on a bill to provide for the Child Online Access Protection Bill 2023.

The bill also included other issues of online violence against Nigerian children and related matters.

Mr Adedeji said FIRS had already been given a target, and instead of levelling additional burden through taxation to fund the bill to become an act, it should be funded through appropriation.

“The impression we have is that the funding will be through a levy. We already have eight different levies, and I advised that the funding should come by way of appropriation,” stated the FIRS boss.

He added that this became necessary since FIRS was charged with collecting revenue for the government.

Speaking in support of the bill, he said, “Our position is that FIRS fully supports the bill, and its intention is a great initiative. We have to adopt global best practices; we observed that funding to make it happen is also in the bill, and in this, we have raised issues.”

Abang Abua, a deputy director and representative of the Nigeria Communication Commission CEO, Aminu Maida, said the commission was concerned about the method of funding through taxation.

“We are concerned about tax because our operators are already inundated with taxes,” he said.

Pwadumoi Okoh, deputy director at the National Human Rights Commission, who represented the chairman, said the bill is a proactive step to protect children’s rights.

She, however, said the commission had observed some errors in the bill and submitted its inputs to the house.

Olumide Osoba, chairman of the House Committee on Justice, said the bill was straight, adding that it was meant to ensure that the service providers safeguarded the Internet for children.

He said the house was indebted to make the law, adding that stakeholders’ engagement would fine-tune the bill before its final passage.

He said the ministry of communication and the NCC would monitor, adding that no additional levy would be imposed on anyone.

(NAN)