FIRS Rejects Additional Tax On Businesses To Fund Child Online Protection Bill

The Federal Inland Revenue Service rejected the bill that suggested additional taxes on business owners to raise funds for Child's Online Access Protection.

FIRS Chairman Zacch Adedeji confirmed the rejection of the bill on Tuesday. While he supported the intention behind the bill, he rejected the idea of generating funds from business owners via additional tax.

Aside from child online access protection, the bill also included various issues such as online violence against Nigerian children.

"The impression we have is that the funding will be through a levy. We already have eight different levies, and I advised that the funding should come by way of appropriation," Adedeji said, Punch reported.

He added, "Our position is that FIRS fully supports the bill, and its intention is a great initiative. We have to adopt global best practices; we observed that funding to make it happen is also in the bill, and in this, we have raised issues."

The Deputy Director of the Legal Department at Nigeria Communication Commission Abang Abua, represented by the commission's Chief Executive Officer Aminu Maida, said that the commission is not happy with the method of collecting funding in the form of tax.

"We are concerned about tax because our operators are already inundated with taxes," he said.

National Human Rights Commission's Deputy Director Pwadumoi Okoh appreciated the bill, noting that it was a proactive step to protect the children. However, he also noted some errors in the bill and the commission has submitted its inputs before the House.

"We suggest that the committee should explore some other relevant Nigerian laws instead of duplicating efforts in agencies where such laws exist," Okoh said. "We should look at other Acts of the agencies of government that have similar mandates so as not to have interagency rivalry."

Usman Kumoh (APC-Gombe), who represented the Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, noted that the House will continue to protect children's rights online, adding that everyone should be on the same page to protect children from being harmed.

"Nigeria cannot live in isolation in the digital world, and our children must not be exposed to the dangers of the internet," he said, explaining that this bill should be implemented in collaboration between parents and internet service providers.