Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, stated that tax collection in Nigeria is low during a Pan-African youth dialogue on nutrition in Abuja on Tuesday.
Gates is currently in Nigeria for a series of events.
Speaking at the event, Gates said the low tax collection poses a challenge to adequately financing critical sectors such as health and education. He emphasized that citizens need to have confidence in the government’s ability to deliver quality healthcare, which requires a commitment to ensuring that health program funding is well-managed.
Gates said, “Over time, there are plans for Nigeria to fund the government more than it does today. The actual tax collection in Nigeria is actually pretty low. If citizens want education and health services, they need to develop confidence that these programs can be well-run. Our foundation is involved with exemplars that show the way in terms of ensuring money is spent efficiently, running a primary health care system where employees do great work, and centers are well-located.”
Gates’ remarks come after Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, proposed a law to the National Assembly to increase value-added tax from 7.5% to 10%.
Oyedele said, “We have significant issues with tax revenue. Our revenue profile is abysmally low. If we dedicate our whole revenue to fixing roads, it will be insufficient.”
