Govt will not overtax citizens -AbduRazaq

By Fatima Mohammed-Lawal

Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara, on Saturday in Ilorin, assured the citizens that the government is doing everything possible to avoid over taxation of the people.

AbduRazaq, who was represented by Mrs Susan Oluwole, the Kwara Head of Service (HoS), stated this at the Investiture of Dr. Biola Adimula as the 4th National Chairperson of the Society of Women in Taxation (SWIT).

According to him, the government is mindful of the effect of over taxation and will ensure citizens pay only exact dues.

“The is ensuring everything is balanced and will not cause undue hardship. But we are conscious of the facts that everybody should be made to pay what they are suppos to the government.

“We cannot joke with the issue of taxation, because it is important to the development of any nation,” he said.

AbdulRazaq commended the new National Chairperson of SWIT, adding that Adimula is a woman who is dedicated to the development of Kwara.

The Governor also pledged that the state government will collaborate with the association to ensure success in developing Kwara and Nigeria as a whole.

In his goodwill speech, Mr Muhamma Nami, the Executive Chairman of Federal Inland Revenue (FIRS), noted that the FIRS is the leading Tax Authority in Nigeria, which has shown interest in activity that can promote revenue growth and effective revenue collection in Nigeria.

He stated that in keeping with the changing times, FIRS is implementing several initiatives to mitigate the impact of aggressive tax avoidance and tax evasion in Nigeria.

“The Authority will ensure deployment of Tax-pro Max; a fully integrated tax solution and amendment of tax laws through the annual Finance Act to block leakages,” he said.

He also said there will be cultural and structural realignment towards global tax practices to address peculiar economic dynamics among others.

“It is imperative to emphasise that female gender of staff forms about 41.4 per cent of FIRS workforce as at May 2021 and it is heartwarming to inform you that majority of these ladies are members of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) and SWIT,” he said.

He congratulated the new Chairperson, adding that she has attained success in area of tax practice and in her legal profession.

Earlier in her welcome address, Dr Caroline Ndubuisi, Chairman SWIT Investiture Committee, explained that the body comprises of female members of the CITN whose objectives are to identify with and assist the organization to achieved laudable objectives.

In her acceptance speech, Dr Biola Adimula, the 4th National Chairperson of SWIT, explained that the development in the global space has shown that across the world “taxation is now the big elephant in the room” which government across the globe collect from their respective jurisdictions.

She observed that the recent decision by G7 countries to impose “global minimum tax” on multinationals that operate across their jurisdictions has shown clearly that taxation has become a main source of revenue generation globally.

Adimula observed that as the global tax environment is blocking tax leakages from their jurisdiction, Nigeria’s tax system is undergoing significant improvement to achieve the same objective.

The expert in Law also pointed out on the devastating impact of COVID-19 pandemic , as it has impacted Nigeria’s budget by reducing tax receipts and increasing spending on programs to save lives.

The legal practitioner also appealed to government at all tiers to address the issues of insecurity in the country, while pledging to serve the body for national development. (NAN)

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