President of the African Development Bank, (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, has condemned the situation where Nigerians do not have basic infrastructures despite paying taxes.
Adesina on Thursday, at the first national tax dialogue organized by the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) said Nigerians are among top implicit tax payers in the world. He explained that Implicit taxes are levies that are borne but are neither seen nor recorded.
He noted that in Nigeria, citizens provide electricity, road, security, water, among others, for themselves.
“Truth be told, Nigerians pay one of the highest implicit tax rates in the world — way higher than developed countries.
“think of it; they provide electricity for themselves via generators, they repair roads to their neighborhoods, if they can afford to, there are no social security systems, they provide security for their own safety, and they provide boreholes for drinking water with their own monies” he stated.
He further described the borehole system in Nigeria as ridiculous, noting that boreholes are not the way to provide water in the 21st century, insisting that every household should have pipe borne water.
