Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has described the current five per cent Value Added Tax rate in the country as very low, adding that the Federal Government would increase the taxpayer base this year.
Osinbajo stated this on Thursday in Lagos in a keynote address at the 1st National Forum on the Economy organised by Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation Newspapers.
VAT is a consumption tax payable on goods and services consumed by individuals, government agencies and business organisations.
The International Monetary Fund had last week reiterated its advice to the Federal Government to increase the VAT rate gradually.
The Managing Director of the fund, Christine Lagarde, had in January during her visit to Nigeria, urged the government to increase the VAT rate. “To move the nation forward, we must move beyond oil. The reality is that while oil accounts for 14.4 per cent of our Gross Domestic Product, it continues to be the source of 90 per cent of official foreign exchange earnings; and prior to this year, up to 76 per cent of government revenues,” Osinbajo said.
He said having an easy source of revenue had denied Nigeria the opportunity to engage in critical thinking to develop the economy.
“In order to move forward, we must reduce the current dependence of the federal and state governments on the ritual sharing of revenues from oil. Doing so requires broader and genuine efforts at the diversification of our economic structures in terms of drivers of economic activities. The foundation for a strong economy requires that we have appropriate fiscal policies,” the vice president explained.
