4th July, 2014
Stephen Oni/Ilorin
Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, CITN, has advocated a minimum of 15 years jail term for those who embezzled government revenue or failed to apply tax payers’ money to provide goods and services to the people.
Speaking at the third quarterly meeting of the institute in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, on Thursday, the CITN National President, Chief McAnthony Dike, noted that corruption among tax administrators in the country discouraged people from paying taxes.
“No amount of preaching can increase tax compliance and payment unless people see physical evidence that the money that had been paid was being judiciously utilised. Also, Nigerians do not pay appropriate tax. Everyone wants to cheat with the excuse that everyone is doing it. But we should do what’s right,” he said.
McAnthony, who also said that government at all levels should develop a zero tolerance for those who do not show fidelity to payment of taxes, cautioned that government should not co-habit with people who had not showed evidence of tax payment.
He said government should also examine tax clearance certificates of those vying for elective political offices in the country, adding, “not just that they pay tax, but that they pay adequately.”
He then asked: Why should people use the instrumentality of the law to circumvent proper conduct in a civilised society?
On some members of the association who collude with some organisations or government agencies to perpetrate tax corruption, the CITN boss said professional conduct and ethics are available to sanction such members.
The Kwara State Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Nurudeen Banu, who declared the meeting open, said the present administration had worked with tax experts to improve its internally generated revenue in order to sustain the tempo of developmental activities in the state. He challenged members of the institute to come up with ideas capable of enhancing IGR with a view to discouraging reliance on Federation Allocation and delivering dividends of democracy to the people.
He also promised that the state government would give autonomy to the Bureau of Internal Revenue, BIR, as recommended by the institute, adding that mandatory professional training for affected state work force would be looked into.