*KAA TV OP-ED: THE MORAL QUESTION OF TAXATION IN NIGERIA*
In a thought-provoking piece, KAA TV raises a critical question: when does a government have the moral right to tax its citizens? The article argues that taxation is a contract between citizens and the state, where citizens contribute to the system in exchange for essential services like security, infrastructure, and public services.
However, Nigeria’s reality is starkly different. Citizens are forced to fray multiple costs of survival, from generating their own electricity to funding their own security, healthcare, and education. This raises concerns about the legitimacy of taxation in the country.
The article emphasizes that a government’s first duty is to provide security, infrastructure, healthcare, and education. When these basics are not met, taxation feels like coercion, not civic duty. Transparency and fairness are also crucial; citizens will comply if they trust their money is being used effectively and not embezzled.
The piece concludes that taxation without service is not governance, but extraction. It calls for systemic reform and restoration of trust, urging the government to fix the system and provide essential services to earn the moral right to tax citizens.
Ochochi reporter