Tax compliance follows when government earns trust through value – Ige

Beatrice Ige, a medical doctor and aesthetic medicine practitioner, has built a reputation for precision, care, and excellence, with her work long dedicated to helping individuals feel confident in their skin. But today, her voice is extending far beyond the treatment room into a conversation many Nigerian entrepreneurs have avoided or misunderstood: taxation. Modestus Anaesoronye brings the report

Her entry into this space is not accidental. It is the result of years spent observing people across social classes, understanding their realities, and recognising a larger gap in the system. For Ige, the journey from doctor to founder has naturally evolved into something broader, a call for structural clarity, civic responsibility, and a rethinking of how Nigerians engage with tax.

“It may seem unexpected that I am stepping into a conversation about taxation,” she says, “given that I run a skincare business. But I reached a point where I felt I could give more, not just to individuals, but to society as a whole.”

That realisation, she explains, is tied to a deeper belief about nation-building. “If we really want Nigeria to develop, then we have to fix our tax system. Historically, very few nations have achieved sustained development without a strong tax culture. The most stable societies are built on the participation of their citizens through taxation.”

For Ige, tax is not just a financial obligation, it is a civic tool. “It can serve as a tool for accountability. When citizens actively participate, they are better positioned to ask questions, demand transparency, and expect more from government.”

The Gap No One Talks About

While many assume that tax challenges stem from complexity, Ige points to something more fundamental, absence. “When I started my business, there was a complete gap,” she recalls. “No government body, no agency, not even my bank, ever said, ‘You’ve opened a company, these are your tax obligations and this is how to comply.’”

Her experience was shaped by access. With a tax professional in her immediate circle, she was guided through compliance from the outset. But she is quick to acknowledge that her situation is not the norm.

“I was lucky,” she says plainly. “If I didn’t have that kind of guidance, I could easily have been in the same position as many entrepreneurs, not non-compliant by intention, but simply unsure of what to do.”

This, she argues, is where the real issue lies. “There’s no clear onboarding into the tax system when you start a business. People are just trying to run their businesses and figure things out as they go.”

Fixing the Entry Point

For Ige, the solution begins at the very start of the business journey. “It needs to start at the point of entry, business registration,” she explains. “Right now, you can open a company without understanding tax law. That’s where the gap begins.”

She advocates for a structured onboarding process, one that integrates tax education into registration and banking systems. “When you set up a business, you should be required to engage with a government-approved tax consultant, even if it’s just for one or two sessions.”

Banks, she adds, also have a role to play. “Before full account activation, there should be a basic level of tax education tailored to the business. Financial activity flows through banks, so that moment should be used.” At its core, she insists, the issue is not unwillingness. “In many cases, the problem is not compliance, it’s awareness.”

The Trust Deficit

Yet awareness alone is not enough. Beneath the hesitation around taxation lies something deeper, which is trust.

“There’s a general reluctance to let go of money,” Ige admits. “People work hard for what they earn. But beyond that, there’s a deeper issue, which istrust.”

She frames it in the simplest terms: “If you ask most SME owners why they resist tax, the first question is,  what am I getting in return?”

With persistent gaps in infrastructure and public services, scepticism is inevitable. “If people don’t believe the system is transparent or accountable, compliance becomes harder to drive.”

And this, ultimately, is where her headline belief takes root. Government, she argues, must lead the shift. Trust cannot be demanded,it must be earned.

The Hidden Cost of Staying Invisible

For many small businesses, avoiding the system can feel like the easier path. But Ige warns that informality comes at a price.

“The cost of staying invisible is limited growth,” she says. “You shut yourself out of opportunities, access to finance, partnerships or structured investments.”

Beyond opportunity, there is credibility. “Visibility builds trust, not just with customers, but with institutions that can support your growth.”

An informal business may survive, she notes, but it rarely scales. “And when too many businesses operate that way, it affects the wider economy.”

From Survival to Strategy

Understanding tax, Ige argues, does more than ensure compliance, it transforms mindset.

“It creates accountability,” she explains. “You begin to take your business more seriously because you can clearly see what you’re earning and what you’re paying.”

That clarity drives ambition. “If a portion of your income is going into taxes, you’re no longer comfortable staying at a plateau. You start thinking about scale and efficiency.”

In that shift, businesses move from survival mode into strategic growth, and begin to see themselves as part of a larger economic system.

Reforms Without Reach

Recent changes, including the Nigeria Tax Act 2025, aim to ease the burden on small businesses. But Ige believes the impact is limited by poor communication.

“Honestly, I don’t think the average Nigerian SME owner is aware of these changes,” she says.

She points to meaningful provisions including tax exemptions for smaller businesses, VAT relief in essential sectors, and efforts to simplify the system. “Some of these reforms are genuinely beneficial. But most entrepreneurs don’t know this.”

The issue, again, is not policy, but access. “It’s less about whether reforms exist, and more about whether the people who need them are actually hearing about them.”

Why This Conversation Matters

For Ige, taxation is not a topic to be left solely to experts or government officials. Tax affects all of us, so it requires collective engagement,” she says. “From policymakers to entrepreneurs to everyday citizens.”

She also calls for simplicity. “The more complicated tax laws become, the harder they are to implement. If people don’t understand the system, they won’t engage with it. But beyond systems and structures, she sees something more unifying. “Tax has the potential to cut across tribe, religion, and social class. It can shift focus towards a shared national responsibility.”

From Silence to Conversation

If she could change one thing, Ige says, it would be how taxation is introduced and discussed. It needs to become a conversation,” she says. “Something every business owner is guided through from the very beginning.”

That conversation, she adds, should start even earlier, in universities, in training programmes, in everyday learning spaces. Right now, there’s a knowledge gap. Many business owners simply don’t know what is expected of them.”Her vision is simple but powerful: clarity over confusion, guidance over assumption.

“If taxation becomes something that is explained, accessible, and consistently communicated,” she concludes, “it will change how SMEs engage with it entirely.”