Non-Oil Revenue and Economic Growth in Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the effect of non-oil revenue on economic growth in Nigeria. The four specific variables proxy for non-oil revenue are: Value Added Tax, Companies Income Tax, Personal Income Tax and Custom & Excise Duties, while Gross Domestic Product was used to represent economic growth in Nigeria. The study population consists of all individuals, corporation soles and corporate organisations whose taxes were paid to the Nigerian government except firms operating in the upstream industry. The study sample consists the entire population of study using the census sampling approach. The secondary source of data collection method was used in generating data from the Federal Inland Revenue Service Statistical bulletin of 2018 and the National Bureau of Statistics of 2019 for the period 1994-2018. The descriptive statistics and Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression techniques were used to analysed the data collected. The study findings revealed that indirect taxes (Custom & Excise Duties and Value Added Tax) have more significant positive effect on the Nigerian economic growth than direct taxes (Companies Income Tax and Personal Income Tax). Also, direct taxes have significant but negative effect on the Nigerian economic growth, especially in the long run. It is therefore recommend that simple and transparent tax laws be enacted to regulate the tax regimes in Nigeria in order to avoid any form of illicit strategic tax behaviour by management. Also, the problems of implementation of good tax reforms policies should be eliminated. Tax authority should provide strategies to strengthen the control on the significant variables identified in this study analysis.

Keywords: Tax revenue, economic growth, gross domestic product, direct tax, indirect tax.

DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/11-8-10

Publication date: April 30^th 2020