A women’s rights activist and development advocate, Ene Obi, has waded into the Federal Government’s stance that sex workers should pay tax.
Obi, who appeared in an interview programme on Arise Television, Saturday, said the commercial sex workers should equally be provided with basic amenities and protection since they are required to pay taxes.
While lamenting that more than 100 million Nigerians were living below the poverty line, she observed that the burden of poverty often falls on women.
"When you are talking about taxation and you are talking about commercial sex workers, I think we need to step back a little because of issues of human rights.
"You are looking at taxation and tax justice, who are you taxing? If you are looking at Nigeria right now, I will say more than 100 million Nigerians are living below the poverty line, and the burden of poverty often falls on women.
"So, if sex workers are made to pay taxes, they should also have access to social amenities, benefits, and protection. They face gender-based violence more," she said.
NATIONAL POST recalls that the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, had disclosed that sex workers were liable to pay tax.
He explained that under the new reform laws recently signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the commercial tax workers would pay tax since they are offering services.
