Dogara expresses worries over tax evasion

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has expressed concern over tax evasion by individuals and organisations in Nigeria. He made this known when he received the President of Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), Dr. Teju Somorin in his office.

According to a statement issued by his spokesman, Turaki Hassan, Dogara said it was worrisome that an individual could sell a property of amounting to a billion naira and he will not pay anything as tax.

He said: “To be candid, we are worried; for instance in here in Abuja, an individual can sell a property of up to a billion naira and he will not pay a dime as tax… What is the problem; is it absence of an enabling legal framework; is it that we have a robust framework but the problem is implementation; what is the challenge; how can we resolve it? That is the biggest problem so that we ensure that all citizens that are supposed to pay tax, actually pay tax,” he said.

The Speaker, while commending CITN for their previous contributions in the legislative activities of the House through public hearings assured the organisation that the House would do all it could to provide legislative frameworks that would assist in improving tax in the country.

Earlier, Somorin, who is also the President, West African Union of Tax Institute had called for another round of tax reform, establishment of taxation committee in the House to deal with tax matters, abolishing earmarked taxes such as education tax, and implementing the National Tax Policy.