Follow Taxes, IBP sensitise market women, advocate harmonised taxations system
The Follow Taxes in collaboration with the International Budget Partnership (IBP) on Friday, 13th October, 2023, brought together stakeholders to brainstorm on how to develop advocacy document that would promote policies for a fair, progressive, and tansparent Tax System and Administration in Taraba State.
The meeting which was held at the Green Land Suits in Jalingo, comprised the representatives of the market women from the informal sectors, the tax officer from Jalingo LGA, CSOs, Persons With Disabilities, and the media.
Speaking to Journalists one of the organisers, Aisha Ahmad Yusuf, said they were in the state to also work out modalities on how to assist the women in business from the informal sector to reduce the multiple taxation they are paying by harmonising it.
She said the participants are expected to step down the advocacy messages to their fellows by enlightening them on the importance of paying their taxes and to also know who they are supposed to pay.
“If one institution will be collecting taxes, we believe it is easier for the women in business from the informal sector because it would reduce the multiple taxations they are paying and enhance their businesses,” says Yusuf.
According to Aisha Ahmad Yusuf, they are concerned about the payment of multiple taxations by the women from the informal sector because it could lead to the breakdown of some businesses among them, hence the need for harmonising it and also assisting the government for an improved internally revenue generation in the state.
Commenting on the development, a retired civil servant with the Taraba State Board of Internal Revenue, and a Fellow CITN, Sub-member of SWIT, Mrs Dorothy Tuktur, described the workshop as impactful, adding that “there are a lot of multiple taxes women are paying in both in the market and other places of their businesses, so, are out to advocate for them to know their rights and at least the taxes should be reduced for them to a bearable minimal because women pay more taxes than men.”
Also in an interview, the National Coordinator of the Association of Nigeria Women Business Network, Mrs Angela Ajala, who was represented by Ambassador Unice who is a Professional Driver, said the move of harmonising taxations is a welcome development, and expressed hope that they will feel the impact of the policy.
“I am a Professional Driver in business, so those of us that are in the driving sector know how much we pay taxes to the government and the rest, we really want to see how the system can be harmonised, so that it will be of benefit to the women in business and others.
According to her, if the goal is achieved, besides reducing multiple taxations for women in business from the informal sectors, it will also assist the government in tackling the non-compliance of tax payments by some business owners.
However, on his part, the Taraba State Secretary of the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations, Mr. Fidelis Nashuka who described the meeting as timely said according a research carried out in 2022, it was discovered that many people in the informal sector, particularly the women are battling with the multiple taxations from different arms of government.
He noted that the move is geared towards reducing multiple taxations to enable the women to do their businesses and pay their taxes according to their earnings, adding that the meeting created an avenue where both the market women from the informal sector and the government have understood what both parties are doing and how they could benefit from the processes.
“There is no doubt the government needs the tax to provide social amenities for the women and everyone in the society but at the same time the women too are overburdened by paying multiple taxations, so, we are aiming towards having a harmonized system of taxation in the state.
“We also noticed that the taxpayers, particularly in the informal sectors don’t even know why they should be paying taxes because the presence of government is not there in the market, as you heard them some of them were saying they don’t even have a rest room, creche, and even a space where to sell their goods, yet they are been charged to pay all manner of taxes, so, we want to see how the government will also look at their basic needs and make provision.
“We are also going educate the women to know the why they should pay taxes, and then harmonized all the various types taxes so that the hoodlums who are taking advantage of the gaps and issuing all manner of receipts exploiting the women in the informal sector would be tackled,” Nashuka pointed out.
According to Nashuka, the stakeholders at the meeting have agreed that “We are going to establish a tax clinic where the government officials, the CSOs, and even the market women would meet and we will use that opportunity to educate them on various taxes they are supposed to pay and also bring the government closer to them if they have any issue on tax payment they will know how to channel their complaints and that is why we also involved the Media too, this is the first measure.
“Even today we are going to have a town hall meeting with all the Heads of Market Women Associations across the 16 LGAs of Taraba State, and then from there we take it up,” Nashuka added.
