Skip to main content

"Only 914 people pay between N10m and N20m tax every year in Nigeria and 912 of them reside in Lagos"- VP Osinbajo says

While speaking at the launch of the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme in Abuja yesterday June 29th, acting president, Yemi Osinbajo, said statistics from the Federal Inland Revenue Service FIRS, shows that out of the active population of 70 million people in Nigeria, only 14 million of them are taxpayers.

According to Osinbajo, 914 Nigerians pay between N10m and N20m tax yearly and that of the 914 persons, 912 of them are residents of Lagos state while the remaining two reside in Ogun State. The vice president said that this is considerably low considering the fact that Nigeria boast of very wealthy persons with choice properties within and outside the country.

According to him, it is only those who work in very formal offices that mostly pay their tax.

“Those who earn salaries that are known in a formal setting are those we know that pay taxes. Outside of that group of people, there are many high net worth individuals, self-employed persons and some companies that are able to evade full tax payment due to the limited knowledge of the tax authorities to assess their true income. According to the FIRS, the total number of taxpayers in Nigeria is just 14 million; of this number, 96 per cent of them have their taxes deducted at source from their salaries under the Pay-As-You-Earn system, while just four per cent are under direct assessment. So, the vast majority of Nigerians do not pay taxes.
This is at variance with our economy where almost 70 million Nigerians are economically active. The statistic of those paying taxes are quite alarming. Despite having some of Africa’s wealthy people, whose lifestyles are the subject of global admiration, only 214 Nigerian pay taxes of N20m or more each year. A personal tax of N20m implies that the person is earning personal income of N80m a year. That group of 214 excludes many names who can pay well over N20m"he said
Osinbajo announced the grace of the next nine months for tax evaders to go and regularize their payments with the appropriate authorities, failure to do so could earn them criminal prosecution. He added that the Federal government is currently carrying out a secret investigation into the earnings of some highly placed Nigerians and the tax they pay to government.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Vulvar Care Tips

Vulva Care Maintaining a healthy vulva and vagina will help prevent infections and discomfort. Unusual changes in vaginal discharge is a sign that there might be an issue. Why is vulvar and vagina care important? Many women experience uncomfortable, vaginal infections (vaginitis) at one time or another. The area around the entrance to the vagina (vulva) can also become irritated. Steps can be taken to relieve and prevent vulvar discomfort and vaginal infections. Not all vaginal infections are alike and home treatments can worsen some types. If you have any concerns about your vulvar or vaginal health, or notice unusual changes in vaginal discharge, contact your healthcare provider if the problem persists. What is the vulva? The vulva is the area of female sex organs that lies outside of the vagina. These organs include folds of sensitive tissue called the labia (labia means "lips"). The labia has two parts. The outermost folds are called the labia majora. A secon...

Chechnya leader makes Mo Salah honorary citizen

Chechnya leader Ramzan Kadyrov has made Egypt’s talismanic striker Mohamed Salah an honorary citizen of the southern Russian region at a farewell banquet held for the eliminated World Cup side. Rights groups and Western governments allege that authorities in Chechnya repress their political opponents, discriminate against women and persecute sexual minorities, all allegations that Chechnya’s leaders deny. Chechnya has been hosting the Egyptian team’s World Cup training camp and Kremlin-backed Kadyrov has seized on opportunities to appear alongside Salah. Sarah’s goalscoring exploits for Liverpool and Egypt have made him an international superstar. “Mohamed Salah is an honorary citizen of the Chechen Republic. “Yes, that’s right! Tonight I signed a decree conferring this high award on the great footballer and member of the Egypt and Liverpool teams,” Kadyrov wrote on Telegram. Salah was presented with a badge and a copy of the decree at the dinner, Kadyrov said. The Egy...

Oil prices rise amidst uncertainty over Libyan crude exports

Oil prices rose, Tuesday on uncertainty over Libyan oil exports, although plans by producer cartel OPEC to raise output loom. Brent sweet crude futures, the international benchmark for oil prices, were at 74.95 dollars per barrel at 01.04 GMT, up 22 cents, or 0.3 per cent from their last close. The United States West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at 68.33 dollars a barrel, up 25 cents, or 0.4 per cent. Traders said prices were mostly driven higher by uncertainty around oil exports by Libya, a member of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Eastern Libyan commander, Khalifa Haftar’s forces have handed control of oil ports to a separate National Oil Corporation (NOC) based in the East of the country. The official state-owned oil company based in the capital Tripoli, also called NOC, will not be allowed to handle that oil anymore, he said. In comments later confirmed to the media, Ahmed Mismari, spokesman of Haftar’s Libya National Army...