The National Chairperson of the Society of Women in Taxation (SWIT); Mrs Bosede Ikhanoba said that the Society is advocating that the tax reform bills being championed by this present Administration should consider women because theyare at the bottom of the income ladder.
Furthermore, the informal sector of the economy with regards to tax payment obligations is obviously dominated by women where theory of gender balancing is in the front burner especially in the allocation of economic resources.
Ikhanoba stated this at the 2024 SWIT Leadership Retreat with the theme “Evaluating the Role of SWIT in the Tax system – strengthening Engagement for impart” which held in Abuja on Saturday, 7th December, 2024.
The Chairperson expressed satisfaction that the Tax Reform bills have addressed the issue of multiplicity of taxes and that women will benefit more since thegovernment proposes to reduce tax for those in the low income earning bracket while those high net worth individuals and bigger companies will pay more taxes base on their Turrnover thus the market women selling pepper will have less tax to pay if at all . Ikhanoba.
It is also the expectation of the Society that the current conversation or discussion on the tax reform bills would focus attention among other issues on the promotion of women’s economic participation, reduction of gender wage gaps, Investment in gender-responsive public services.
The SWIT National Chairperson said that the objective of the leadership retreat was to equip the National Officers and State Chapter Coordinators with knowledge to assist in their respective engagements to play a key role in influencing tax policy and making a broader impact on the society through their work.
The 16th President and Chairman of Council of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), Mr Samuel Agbeluyi,mni,FCTI who was represented by the Deputy Vice President, Dr Simon Kato,FCTI while declaring the retreat open, commended SWIT under the leadership of Mrs Bosede Ikhanoba,FCTI; the International Budget Partnership (IBP) and the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy (CISLAC) for organising the impactful training program that provided a platform for retrospection, performance evaluation and a renewed focus for greater impact.
The CITN President commenting on the theme for the retreat invited the participants to reflect on how women as change agents can harness their unique perspectives and skills to elevate Nigeria’s tax system. He concluded by noting that SWIT as an integral part of CITN, has set a commendable standard in supporting women in Nigeria’s tax profession and that its achievements reflect an organisation not just meeting its objectives but continually seeking to expand its influence.
Mrs Chika Okoh; a Senior Programme Officer, International Budget Partnership- a technical partner of SWIT said since their partnership with SWIT in the last two years, the association has grown from building professional capacity of their members to becoming strong advocate on tax matters for women and the public.
” They were mainly into tax education/ sensitisation, but since our engagement with them in 2022, they have come to realise and become active players within the tax system. As a result,they have seen that tax advocacy is a critical part of their role and they have included that as a major plan.” Okoh said.
The Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre ( CISLAC) another technical partner of SWIT,Auwal Musa Rafisanjani encouraged SWIT to continue in it’s advocacy role on tax matters.He called on the National Assembly and government to make sure women views on the current tax bill are taken and given priority.