The Controller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has expressed concern that the proposed Revenue Service Bill 2024 could jeopardize business operations. He stated that while the bill aims to establish a legal framework for tax and revenue administration, the way it integrates with existing laws may create challenges.
Adeniyi raised this concern at the ongoing public hearing on the tax reform bills organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Finance Adeniyi pointed out that Section 1 of the bill outlines tax administration, and Section 46.2 defines what constitutes a tax. He emphasized that this section essentially incorporates provisions from Sections 3 and 4 of the NCS Act 2023.
He stressed the importance of collaboration between customs and the tax authority, advocating for the integration of their operations rather than abolishing existing customs laws in favor of new legislation. “We need to encourage cooperation, not repeal current laws simply because new ones are being proposed,”
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“We’re facing issues of jurisdictional conflict here. The Nigerian Revenue Service Established Bill attempts to completely remove the Nigerian Customs Service, if I can put it that way,” he said.
He explained that Section 4 of the Revenue Service Bill gives the new Nigerian Revenue Service (NRS) control over all taxes and fees. “We are worried that this new law might ignore previous laws that were put in place to support the economy,” he added.
The Controller General urged that any new agencies should collaborate with Customs instead of trying to eliminate it.
“Our main recommendation is to promote cooperation between Customs and the tax authority, instead of abolishing Customs or repealing existing laws just to create new ones.
“Our request is straightforward. A lot of effort and resources have already gone into creating the Nigerian Customs Service Act 2023, which was established less than two years ago. We ask the Assembly to respect that law.”
