Broader tax base will increase government revenue and service delivery- RMAFC
The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has advised Nigerians to make every effort to pay their taxes in order to increase government revenue and improve service delivery.
Alhaji Muhammad Shehu, Chairman of RMAFC, stated this in an interview with journalists on Sunday in Abuja.
According to Shehu, just about 40 million Nigerians are currently in the tax net and paying taxes.
“That is far too low for a country with over 200 million people,” he remarked. He praised President Bola Tinubu’s recent formation of a Tax Reform Committee.
He stated that the committee would work hard to bring economic actors from the informal sector into the tax net.
“There is a lot of discussion about the informal economy.”This tax reform group that we have formed will bring together a number of agencies, including RMAFC. We are part of that committee.
“We’ve articulated our position, and we’ll communicate what we believe can add value to the conversation.”
“At the end of it all, we will have a better society where more people pay taxes and the money is used for better services and infrastructure so that every Nigerian benefits,” he stated.
He asked the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to work together to identify specific groups of Nigerians who avoid taxes.
“The government does not receive certain taxes from Nigerians.”
“Someone declares an annual income of N600,000, but that same person imports a vehicle worth N40 million into Nigeria.”I believe the FIRS will consider all of these factors before collaborating with the NCS to improve efficiency.
“When importing a brand new car, your name, date of birth, address, and NIN number should all be required.”
“They should look into what you filed last year and how much tax you paid to the government.” As a result, they will get a lot more individuals to pay taxes,” he said.
He asked all Nigerians to embrace the idea of happily paying their taxes in order to help the government increase revenue.
“I believe it is critical for every Nigerian to try to pay their taxes because it is from those funds that services are provided.”
“All of the things you hear about clean environments, good roads, and functional infrastructure in other countries are the taxes that citizens pay to fund those services.”
“People should learn to pay their electricity bills, their water bills, just like they pay for telephone recharge cards.”
“The more you pay your taxes, the more money the government has to put into road and rail construction, better hospitals, pensions, social security, and a better plan to help the needy,” he explained.