Etsu Nupe and Chairman of the Coordinating Committee of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria, His Royal Highness Alhaji (Dr.) Yahaya Abubakar, CFR, has pledged the support of traditional institutions across Nigeria for efforts to promote taxpayer rights awareness, voluntary tax compliance and a fair, transparent and people-centred tax system.
Etsu Nupe made the commitment on recently in Abuja when the Tax Ombud/Chief Executive, Dr. John Nwabueze, paid him a courtesy visit as part of efforts to deepen awareness and understanding of the mandate of the Office of the Tax Ombud.
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Dr. Abubakar commended His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, for the ongoing tax reforms, describing the establishment of the Office of the Tax Ombud as timely and critical to strengthening confidence in Nigeria’s tax administration.
He said traditional rulers would support efforts to ensure that taxpayers, particularly those in local communities, were aware of their rights and had access to effective mechanisms for seeking redress when they encountered grievances with tax and revenue authorities.
The revered royal father said the Office of the Tax Ombud offered hope to taxpayers who had previously been left without an accessible and cost-effective mechanism for resolving grievances arising from interactions with tax and revenue authorities.
He assured the Federal Government of the support of traditional institutions in promoting taxpayer rights awareness and pledged to mobilise traditional rulers to encourage a fair, transparent, accountable and people-centred tax system, as well as greater voluntary tax compliance.
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Earlier, Dr. Nwabueze urged traditional rulers across the country to support the Federal Government’s efforts to increase voluntary tax compliance and improve citizens’ awareness of their rights and obligations as taxpayers.
The Tax Ombud described traditional rulers as dependable social mobilisers with strong influence at the grassroots, saying their support was critical to building public trust and improving understanding of the tax system.
He said Nigeria needed to significantly improve its tax-to-GDP ratio through economic diversification and a people-centred tax system, adding that this informed the establishment of an independent mechanism to address taxpayers’ grievances under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Dr. Nwabueze said: “The Office is established to bridge the gap between taxpayers and tax and revenue authorities, making the tax system more accessible and trusted. We ensure that tax grievances are resolved in an open and accountable manner, ultimately strengthening Nigeria’s tax system.”
According to the Tax Ombud, the Office handles complaints that are operational, procedural and administrative in nature, rather than judicial matters or disputes over tax assessments.
He explained that the Office is required to resolve complaints within 14 days, with a possible seven-day extension where necessary, making it an efficient and cost-effective alternative to litigation for aggrieved taxpayers.
Dr. Nwabueze said the services of the Office were available at no cost to individuals, businesses, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), tax practitioners and tax authorities.
He added that the Office had recently launched its toll-free numbers, website and other digital platforms to make its services more accessible to taxpayers and other stakeholders.
The Tax Ombud further disclosed that plans were underway to expand the Office’s physical presence to all states and, ultimately, local government areas across the country.