Don canvasses autonomy for tax collectors in Nigeria
A professor of tax law Abiola Sanni has advocated granting of full autonomy and political will from the Federal and states Government for tax collectors to enable them perform optimally.
Sanni who is with the faculty of Law University of Lagos made this suggestion in llorin, the Kwara capital at the second edition of quiz competition on tax collection and administration for students in Secondary Schools in Kwara.
The Daily Times reports that the quiz competition was at the instance of the Kwara internal Revenue Service (KWlRS) in conjunction with the state Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development.
The prof of tax law who was the special Guest of honour at the event stressed the need for the Streathening the tax institutions by both the Federal and states government to enable them deliver to aid infrastructural development.
He called on the states Government to inaugurate a tax authority establish by a legal framework to assist social and economic of their states.
“Give tax collectors in the country full autonomy with legal backing to enable them collect fund that can aid the development of the country ” the tax prof said.
Sanni urged the Federal Government to find a quick solution to what he described as low level of tax compliance in Nigeria by lndividuals, organisations and Agencies.
“The level of tax compliance in Nigeria is six percent which is the lowest in the world and this is not economically advantage as a nation ” Sanni lamented.
The prof of tax law praised the foresight of the Kwara State lnternal Revenue Service for organising the annual quiz competition and advised other states to emulate The Kwara Governor Dr AbdulFatah Ahmed
who was represented by his Chief Economic Assistant Mr Yomi Ogunshola said the state Government will continue to provide an enabling environment for tax collection in the state.
The Chairman of the Kwara internal Revenue Service. Dr Muritala Awodun while speaking with journalists at the event said the aim of organising the annual quiz is to intimate the importance of tax to younger ones. He said the motive of the programme is to further improve tax education and advocacy among residents of the state.
At the end of the quiz competition, Government Girls day Secondary School Oko-Erin,n Ilorin emerged the overall winner of the second edition of the Senior Secondary Schools Tax Club Quiz Competition with half a million naira cash prize.
Governnent Secondary School, Lafiagi came second with N250,000 cash prize while Governnent Secondary School, ilorin came third with N150,000 cash prize A total number of thirty six senior secondary schools across the three senatorial districts of the state participated in the quiz competition
Kehinde Akinpelu, Ilorin
