Delegates at the on-going National Conference yesterday voted in favour of payment of tax by churches, mosques and religious organizations.
In their deliberation on the report of the committee on religion, they also voted that federal and state governments should stop the sponsorship of Islamic and Christian pilgrimages.
They however could not agree on whether to scrap Islamic and Christian pilgrims boards as deliberations on this led to an uproar, forcing the conference leadership to move the vote on the issue to today.
The decision to make religious bodies pay taxes came up when a delegate representing Civil Organisations, Mallam Naseer Kura in his contribution to the debate on the report observed that religious leaders were making much money and should be taxed.
A delegate representing the Nigeria Guild of Editors, Isaac Ighure also frowned at the situation where according to him pastors and heads of churches make too much money with some of them owning private jets. “Some people buy private jets when people in their churches are suffering and living in abject poverty, they should be made to pay taxes,” he submitted.
At the resumed session after break, the issue of payment of tax by the churches, Mosques and other religious bodies came up and delegates unanimously voted for it.
Decisions reached at the conference are subjected to ratification by the National Assembly. If the National Assembly okays the decision, religious organizations will have to start paying tax, a development that will be welcomed by several Nigerians who have often complained about the luxurious lives of men of God.
AN APPARENT MISPLACEMENT OF PRIORITIES AT THE CONFAB: Just as the Nigerian political parties and politicians put their parochial, selfish and godless agenda above that of the nation and the common good of the people of Nigeria, the ongoing Confab is displaying the same traits. How does the fact of having churches and mosques pay taxes stem corruption in the country and place a deterrent on corrupt politicians, political office holders, ministries and other governmental agencies? To tax churches and mosques is to increase the loot and financial recklessness and irresponsibility of our politicians on the one hand, and to rob God directly on the other. While the extravagant and luxurious lifestyle of some clergies is both ungodly and very unlike Christ, mandating it on churches to start paying taxes has no justification whatsoever. Why not probe into the lives and churches of those who have been known to be extremely rich to find out what they are doing to get such wealth? Obviously, some churches are into secular education, production and even exportation and importation business. Won’t it be wise to separate between the secular and spiritual in this case? How do you tax churches that are purely being run on freewill donations, offerings and tithes just because some so-called clergies have chosen to abuse privilege? I have said “some” because I know it’s not all of them that get money from sources other than God. It’s very necessary for caution to be employed in this matter in order not to provoke God more in this country with wicked laws that are inimical to the spiritual well-being of the people of Nigeria. It is so deadly that the Nigerian government cares little or nothing about the common man in all aspects of life. We have some politicians who, having looted the national purse in office, can comfortably and single-handedly pay all Nigerian civil servants’ salary for a whole year! Yet, they are not satisfied; they are clamouring for more and more money. Their insatiable appetite for more money, power, fame and name has caused them to want to step up from robbing men to robbing God! From hike in pump prices of petroleum products to outright subsidy removal!! Is education not gradually becoming an unaffordable luxury in Nigeria? What is minimum wage in this country and what is the least amount of tuition fees in both federal and state universities? Of course, priivate universities are a no-go area for the common man’s child. The so-called federal mass transit buses meant to cushion the effect of the very last official hike (there have been several unofficial and artificial ones)in fuel pump price, are practically killing the common man in Lagos. Even the state’s BRT is better for the masses; their prices are stable. But the federal mass is massively tormenting the masses particularly, when it’s raining, has just rained or during rush hours!!! May God grant both the upper and lower houses the knowledge, wisdom and understanding to approach this issue without incurring the wrath of God upon the leaders of this nation. Be it known unto you that, whether you go ahead with your plan of taxing churches or not, our God is big enough to meet all of our needs. It is only necessary for you to hear this and save your souls from very grievous eternal consequences. Amen.