Guiding Principles
The work of the committee will be guided by the following principles.
01. National Interest
Every member and participant, regardless of affiliation or political interest, shall put Nigeria’s interest first and above all other considerations. International best practice ideas should be considered within our local context.
02. Data Driven
Proposals must be evidence-based and all submissions and recommendations must be data-driven to the extent possible. "In God we trust, all others must bring data." — Edwards Deming.
03. Impact Assessment
Every proposal shall be accompanied by detailed impact assessment — both quantitative and qualitative — as it may affect stakeholders directly and indirectly in terms of ultimate burden or benefit where applicable.
04. Tax Philosophy
Let everyone breathe — especially the poor. Government does not intend to tax poverty but rather promote prosperity and share out of it by way of tax. Taxes on investment or production will be eliminated to the extent practicable in favour of taxes on returns, income and consumption. We will only tax fruits, not seeds.
05. No New Taxes
We do not intend to introduce new taxes or increase the rates of existing taxes — except where necessary to compensate for harmonised taxes and levies or prevent revenue loss.
06. Facilitate Inclusive Growth
We will remove tax and fiscal bottlenecks and disincentives. The goal is to promote investment and facilitate economic growth as a sustainable way to grow and diversify government revenue.
07. Ensure Equity
We will promote fiscal equity for all stakeholders — including investors and businesses (local and foreign) — and all tiers of government, federal and sub-national.
08. Diversity of Views
We will seek and respect members’ and other stakeholders’ views, consulting widely with all key stakeholders and the general public. Differences and disagreements should be expressed professionally with civility. "It is not who is right, but what is right, that is of importance." — Thomas Huxley.
09. Partnership & Co-creation
We will partner with key stakeholders — organised private sector, public institutions, the media, civil society, international organisations and the Nigerian people.
10. Prioritise
We will prioritise our interventions and recommendations — focusing on the most impactful and relatively easy-to-implement measures in terms of time, cost and complexity — starting with issues on which there is broad consensus.