How Area Boys Can Become Tax Collectors, By Presidential Committee Chair

Taiwo Oyedele, the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Tax Policy and Fiscal Reforms, has suggested that area boys can be reformed and employed as tax collectors and paid well to abandon their old ways.

Oyedele made this proposal in a recent interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, where he said that the area boys and touts would contribute to the government’s revenue generation and earn a living from their jobs.

He also said that the federal government is working hard to eliminate multiple taxes in the country, which he called irritating and troublesome.

Oyedele said that the committee consulted with the governors and other stakeholders on reducing taxes.

He said: “We’re also considering how to involve all stakeholders because, ultimately, if you disrupt the income of anyone, whether they are making it legally or not, you can create problems that would be hard to handle, but if you bring everyone in, maybe we need to educate those area boys and touts, give them uniforms and then they’ll be the ones to request you to show the proof on your phone, right? And then they get paid a fair salary.

“And if you equip them with the skills, some of them will voluntarily move on from that job to something else, right? So, our approach is let’s think about what’s best for our country and get all stakeholders to agree.

“We believe that all the stakeholders, including the government, want the best for their country, and we just need to make them see the big picture and then join us. That’s the plan that we have.”