The Social and Integral Development Centre, SIDEC today organized a sensitization programme in Awka for relevant stakeholders from different segments of Anambra Central Senatorial District on tax policies and programmes, tax compliance, effectiveness and efficiency of tax collection methods and processes.
The aim is to boost the internally generated revenue profile of Anambra State.
The event was organized in conjunction with the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room with funding support from of the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO), under the Tax for Service project.
In one of the presentations on the benefits of tax compliance, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, (Technical) Mrs Amara Oyeka, warned against filing tax returns outside the time frame permitted by law.
“All eligible citizens must know that tax compliance has timing which is 10th of the proceeding month for those in the formal sector while for instance those in the informal sector should file their returns by 30th of March this year for the revenue generated in 2023.
“Tax is for the good of all of us. With it, Government provides public services such as transportation, good roads, qualitative education, quality healthcare system etc.
Oyeka also spoke about the penalties for tax evasion. “When you evade tax for years, any time you are caught, the
law says you should be made to pay for all the years you have defaulted.
The penalties will be considered on case by case basis”.
In another presentation on the roles and responsibilities of Unified Hybrid Enforcement Team, UHBET, the Head, Monitoring, Anambra Central, Mr Buchi Obioma Okoli, said the team, charged with enforcing compliance to tax law, has assisted in raising the monthly revenue of the government.
“Before the birth of UHBET, the revenue of Anambra state has never exceeded 1.5 billion naira. But from the birth of UHBET, the state has never made less than 2.5 billion naira monthly”.
“UHBET discharges its responsibility with civility. Educate your members we are not the one maltreating citizens everywhere”.
Okoli also spoke on measures put in place to ensure that the personnel did not violate the rights of residents in the discharge of their duties.
“Government has stipulated penalties for every offence. We work in accordance with the law. We equally have in-house policy on disciplining erring personnel”
The Executive Director, SIDEC, Ugochi Agalaba-Ehiahuruike, engaged participants on the tax laws and policies in Nigeria.
She urged the citizens of Anambra State to study the tax laws to understand their obligations and rights and to demand value from government for every tax they pay.
“Sometimes, people complain about multiple taxes, not knowing that there are taxes and levies to be collected by the Federal, state and local governments.
“At the state level, you pay Pay as You Earn, PAYE, direct taxation (self assessment), withholding tax (individuals only), capital gains tax (individuals only), stamp duties on instruments executed by individuals, pool betting and lotteries, gaming and casino taxes, road taxes, business premises registration fees.
“But, at the local government level, you pay shops and kiosks rates, tenement rates, on and off liquor license fees, slaughter slabs fees, marriage, birth and death registration fees, naming of street registration fee, among others.
Ehiahuruike identified some problems with the tax system in the country to include: arbitrary exercise of taxing powers due to the compelling need to grow Internally Generated Revenue as well as lack of clarity on taxation powers of each level of government and encroachment on the powers of one level of government by another.
“There is also insufficient information available to taxpayers on tax compliance requirements thus creating uncertainty and non compliance. But, in all this, citizens should know that they have the right to demand service for the taxes they are paying”.
“So, as you go back, encourage our people to pay their taxes. It is only then we can then return to hold government accountable for the utilization of the money,” she concluded.
The interactive session afforded participants drawn from markets, parks, communities, civil society organizations and the media the opportunity to ask questions and seek clarifications on their concerns about revenue generation approach of the present administration in the area.
