2027: Hamzat Pledges Single Tax Payment System, 48-Hour Complaint Response
Lagos State Deputy Governor and All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Obafemi Hamzat, has promised to introduce a unified tax payment system and end multiple taxation across the state if elected governor in 2027.
He also pledged to establish a complaints centre where residents and business owners could report irregular tax demands, promising that complaints would receive responses within 48 hours.
Hamzat made the promises at a town hall meeting organised by BusinessDay on Friday, where he outlined his proposed tax reforms ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
He said the state was working to harmonise its tax collection system with the Federal Government’s tax reforms, which he said had reduced the number of taxes from 63 to nine.
According to him, the process would involve consultations with local governments to establish a unified tax schedule while respecting their constitutional status as a separate tier of government.
Hamzat said, “What Lagos State is doing, I agree with you, my brother, is now harmonising it. Because the Constitution and the Supreme Court’s ruling that the local governments are a separate government. So that’s the ruling of the land.
“Therefore, what we are doing is to harmonise. Talk to local government and make sure that that nine is what is harmonising. That is the practical system. Knowing what exactly exists.”
The APC candidate said the proposed system would address complaints from residents and business owners who often struggled to identify their tax obligations.
He recalled an encounter with a woman who asked the government to provide a clear list of the taxes she was required to pay, so she could settle them without facing further demands.
“Now, a woman told me when I was going, I said, let me just know what I need to pay. If I pay, leave me alone. I think that’s a fair request and I intend to honour it,” he said.
Hamzat promised to make the unified tax schedule accessible to the public, adding that residents would not be required to pay levies outside the approved list.
“So that’s our promise, to make sure that taxes harmonise from 63 to just nine. And one schedule that everybody can see, if it’s not on the list, you are not paying it,” he said.
He also pledged to establish a platform for reporting multiple taxation and other irregularities involving tax officials, with complaints receiving responses within 48 hours. He said the commitment was included in his manifesto.
The deputy governor further highlighted the challenges faced by traders transporting food into Lagos, noting that the state produced only five per cent of the food it consumed.
He said traders bringing food from other states often encountered multiple levies along their routes, although Lagos had no control over collections made outside its territory.
According to him, the proposed harmonisation would allow relevant authorities, including local governments, to verify payments made in Lagos and prevent taxpayers from being charged repeatedly.
Hamzat also referred to complaints involving rent and other issues, saying the state already had laws addressing some of the concerns but needed to strengthen reporting channels and ensure that government agencies responded to violation
By Oluwafemi Shodipe.
