Amaeshi: Nigerians Want Assurance Taxes Will Be Properly Used

Amaeshi made the assertion at the inaugural public lecture of the chair, held at the University of Lagos. Speaking on the theme, "Ethical Paradoxes, Small Businesses, and the Informal Economy: Lessons for Tax Compliance and Accountability in Nigeria, he identified poor accountability and declining public trust as major obstacles to tax compliance in the country. "Nigerians do not necessarily hate tax.

They just want to be convinced that their taxes would work, he said. Amaeshi argued that government efforts to increase tax revenues would remain limited unless citizens were convinced that their contributions were being used responsibly. He said Nigeria was facing both low tax morale and low tax compliance, stressing that aggressive enforcement alone could not resolve the problem. "Pursuing one but not the other comes across as a futile effort to clap with one hand," he said.