In a move to improve the domestic funds to deal with HIV, the Nigerian government is currently proposing to introduce AIDS tax.
The proposed step will guarantee a considerable increase in the domestic funds to fight HIV, AIDS and also mother to child disease transmission, which has already seen a 10 percent growth.
The Civil society Organisations in Nigeria have urged the federal government to guarantee a speedy hearing into the bill.
The government of Nigeria with the help of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) obtained an estimated sum of US$ 25 million from the Global Funding for AIDS, TB and Malaria. It also got an extra US$ 17 million from UNITAID, an international drug purchase facility for preventing mother to child transmission of HIV.
According to the Director General of the NACA, Prof. John Idoko, the proposed issue of levying AIDS taxes on cellphone and airline would be under consideration and soon it’ll be taken forward into the National Assembly.
Idoko also stated that prior to the domestic donation to AIDS prevention fund was only 15 percent and today it has risen fairly to 25 percent, that can be a fantastic sign. This has also helped the country to decrease its dependency on the donour support.
The NACA director also mentioned that his organisation is working to make certain that the bill gets an easy and rapid passage in the House of Representatives.
