By Chioma Nnodim
Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, has cautioned high-income individuals who provide false information on their income to refrain from such attitude.
The Minister made this known at a one-day tax seminar with the theme,” Reviving the Tax Culture of Filing Tax Returns, organised by the FCT Internal Revenue Service, FCT-IRS, on Tuesday in Abuja.
Bello, who was represented by the Mandate Secretary of FCT Economic Planning, Revenue Generation and Public-Private Partnership, Alhaji Lukman Agboola, noted that only 10 percent of registered residents of the FCT are contributing to the maintenance and development of the territory by paying their taxes.
“As you are all aware, one of the canons of taxation is fairness, such that payment of tax is proportional to the income of the person.
“Therefore, tax should be equitable in a way that the amount of tax payable should be proportionate to income.
“It is however worrisome that, according to reports reaching me, only 10 percent of registered residents of the FCT are contributing to the maintenance and development of the Territory by paying their taxes.
“This needs to change, both for fairness and entrenchment of the rule of law. We must begin to treat tax evasion as the crime that it is,” he said.
Bello encouraged all residents of the FCT to take filing of returns as an obligatory and necessary step towards supporting the socio-infrastructural development of FCT.
“We must understand that taxation is not just a means of providing funds for services and infrastructure, it is also a means for the high earners to contribute for the uplift of the quality of life of the low earners”, he added.
The minister lauded the FCT-IRS for its foresight in holding the seminar aimed at enlightening taxpayers of their very important civic responsibility of filing tax returns.
“It is my hope that this seminar will chart a way for the FCT Internal Revenue Service to improve compliance to tax payment and the proper declaration of all income by all residents”, he further stated.
In his keynote address, the Managing Director, JK Consulting, Dr James Naiveju, urged legislature, the judicial, public servants and professionals to ensure timely and complete filing of their tax returns.
Naiveju stated that if all FCT residents agree to file their tax returns effectively, it would enhance the economy and reduce the rate of poverty.
