The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has told governors to use tax money for the benefit of Nigerians.

FIRS chairman Mohammad Nami advised the governors at the ‘Seventh IGR Learning Event’ organised by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) on Wednesday in Abuja.

“The citizens should not just hear budget figures but must, within their immediate living quarters, feel, see and experience effects of tax revenue,” Mr Nami explained. “Government at various tiers must, in view of the constitutional provisions, imbibe the culture of value-for-money or, put in proper perspective, value-for-tax-money.”

Mr Nami stated that taxation remained the most veritable tool in addressing the imbalance between the “haves” and the “have nots” in society.

He added that the use of taxation was important in balancing the social-economic standing of citizens. The FIRS executive chairman stated that beyond that, the tax was the contribution citizens make for their leaders to provide them with social amenities in appropriate quantity and quality.

According to him, tax is the price paid in anticipation of decent living conditions, adding that tax-compliant citizens can legitimately expect their leaders to provide them with necessary amenities for a ‘good life.

Mr Nami noted that section 16 (b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) provides that “the state shall within the context of the ideals and objectives for which provisions are made in this Constitution, control the national economy in such manner as to secure the maximum welfare, freedom, and happiness of every citizen on the basis of social justice and equality of status and opportunity.”

(NAN)