NBA Lawyers Back Tax Ombud’s Drive to Boost Voluntary Compliance
NBA Lawyers Back Tax Ombud’s Drive to Boost Voluntary Compliance
Nigerian lawyers have backed the Office of the Tax Ombud’s drive to promote voluntary tax compliance, stressing the importance of taxation to government revenue, infrastructure development and social services.
The position was expressed during a panel discussion titled “Pay Now, Prosper Later” at the 66th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Port Harcourt.
The panel featured the Tax Ombud and Chief Executive, Dr John Nwabueze, alongside legal practitioners, including Ahmed Raji, SAN. Participants emphasised the need to strengthen trust between taxpayers and tax authorities as a way of encouraging voluntary compliance and improving tax revenue.
Nwabueze said the Office of the Tax Ombud provides taxpayers with an independent and impartial platform for lodging tax-related complaints and seeking resolution of grievances.
He also said the office had received 22 complaints since opening to the public in January, with 14 resolved, while stakeholder engagement and public awareness efforts were continuing.
The Tax Ombud is a non-judicial mechanism for addressing tax-related complaints and can provide an avenue for early dispute resolution.
The discussion highlights the growing emphasis on taxpayer confidence and voluntary compliance as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s tax administration.
