Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan (Photo Courtesy Vanguard.) Abuja —PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has launched a new Tax Identification Number (TIN) and national tax policy with objective of creating a new spirit in the way Nigerians see taxation. The new tax policy and the identification number would also ensure that all Nigerian citizens of working age pay tax, and consequently lead to increased revenue from taxation in the country. President Jonathan would not only ensure that Nigerians see taxation as a partnership, but also create an economy that is self-sufficient that would not depend wholly on resource wealth to bring development to the people. Launching the new TIN and tax policy shortly before the commencement of the National Economic Council (NEC), which is usually chaired by Vice President Namadi Sambo, the president said the new tax policy sets parameters for taxation and other auxiliary matters and provides clear principles governing tax administration and revenue collection. Jonathan explained that the TIN is a nation-wide electronic database system for the registration of storage of data of taxpayers in Nigeria. According to him, ‘it is a revolutionary poll of tax administration that holds immense potential not just for expanding the nationwide tax base with consequent increase in revenue collection accruable to all tiers of government, but also a big step in the modernization of the Nigerian tax system in line with global best practices and expectations. ‘It is with pleasure that I welcome you to today’s historic twin event, the formal launch of the nationwide tax identification number and the national tax policy. Overall, what we seek to achieve with the introduction of the national tax policy is to have a nation and a people who see taxation as a partnership with government.’ He noted that most of the social critics who come on television and radio stations and talk in the newspapers do not pay tax. ‘If at all because they want to buy land or one thing or the other and the governors insist they must pay tax, they undervalue themselves. Somebody will be traveling abroad every month, travel first class, but the tax he will pay is not up to the tax of a Level Four officer in government. ‘In other countries, those are criminal offences, but here, such people are celebrated as heroes. We want to create a participatory system of taxation where the taxpayers and other stakeholders all see that they all have equal stakes in the tax system,’ he said. Jonathan stated that, ‘Over and above all, we want to institutionalize a tax culture among Nigerians so that we see ourselves as custodians of the tax system and our commonwealth. We are definitely on the right track. Of course, it is only when you pay tax that you an talk of tax payers’ money. You can proudly challenge anybody you think is misusing public funds, because it is your tax that the person is misusing. But those who don’t pay tax are those who shout more in Nigeria. I think the FIRS chairman should make sure that everybody pays tax in his country and those who talk more should be assessed properly.’ The launch of the new tax policy marks the culmination of a journey of about a decade. ‘The idea of national tax policy first arose from the report of the presidential study and a private sector working group set up in the year 2002 which examined the Nigerian tax system and made recommendations towards entrenching a better tax policy and improved tax administration in our dear country,’ the president recalled. He noted that the national tax policy which was being launched today was a product of wide spread consultations and deliberations at all tiers of government and all sectors of the economy. He said it is believed that a foundation for the complete transformation of the Nigerian tax system has been laid, adding that the unique tax identification number system introduced by the joint tax board is a collaborative project between Federal and state governments and remains a key deliverable under the national tax policy. The president commended state governors and their joint tax boards for their collaboration in ensuring the successful implementation of the taxpayer identification number. ‘I recommend this collaboration model for other agencies of government. I wish to reiterate this administration’s commitment to repositioning Nigeria for the challenges of today’s global economy,’ he said, while also commending the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Ifeuko Omoigui-Okauru, for her commitment in bringing the project to reality. Source http://africagist.com/2012/04/07/nigeria-jonathan-launches-new-tax-policy-tax-id-number/

GEJ + Okonjo Iweala = Pure Evil.

How much more can nigerians take?

How much does a politician pay in taxes?

Bunch of rogues - Nigerians must resist becuase what they are doing is unlawful.

Where does it state within the constitution that Nigerian citizens are required to pay tax?

Nwa_Nimo: GEJ + Okonjo Iweala = Pure Evil.

How much more can nigerians take?

How much does a politician pay in taxes?

Bunch of rogues - Nigerians must resist becuase what they are doing is unlawful.

Where does it state within the constitution that Nigerian citizens are required to pay tax?

Nothing wrong in paying taxes, and Nigerians should start getting used to the idea of paying for the future they aspire towards. I would actually like to know how much money the federal government gets from tax from the whole country because I don't think it is that much. Development isn't cheap and costs money. Education isn't cheap, neither is power or infrastructure. The implementation of this in itself might be open to criticism, but we can't keep shouting about every single development being evil because we don't want to pay for stuff unless we really really really have to, then expect quality to appear from thin air.

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Nwa_Nimo: GEJ + Okonjo Iweala = Pure Evil.

How much more can nigerians take?

How much does a politician pay in taxes?

Bunch of rogues - Nigerians must resist becuase what they are doing is unlawful.

Where does it state within the constitution that Nigerian citizens are required to pay tax?

i pity your likes in this country
iNairalander

^^^^^^^^

Silly people - Does the govt spend oil revenues honestly?

And your keen to hand over your hard earned cash.

GEJ/Okonjo Iweala are swindlers.

Anyone eager to pay taxes to this govt should just go and burn their money.

Nwa_Nimo: ^^^^^^^^

Silly people - Does the govt spend oil revenues honestly?

And your keen to hand over your hard earned cash.

GEJ/Okonjo Iweala are swindlers.

Anyone eager to pay taxes to this govt should just go and burn their money.

If the people are not happy with the way they are governed or their cash is spent, then the people should get more involved in civic and political life to change things to work for them, that should not exclude you from your civic duties. Because going by that, I could decide not to pay taxes to a dispensation simply because I don't like them or they are not the party I voted for. Anyone who does not pay taxes has no right to demand better infrastructure, or education, or power, etc, PERIOD. Those things don't come from thin air, and you can't be shouting in an 'I deserve it/it is my right' tone when you are not willing to pay for development. That is not how it works. Nigerians need to stop being so politically lazy and cowardly. Instead of changing things to work better you would rather shout about not having what you have not paid for, and you think it makes sense? In fact just for the sake of democrasy everybody should be taxed. If that makes people more interested in what their money is spent on and causes them to ask questions to that effect then GOOD!

Re: Anyone who does not pay taxes has no right to demand better infrastructure, or education, or power, etc, PERIOD. Those things don't come from thin air,.....blah blah blah.

Going back to the oil revenue thing - isn't it what they are meant to have done over the many decades we've been selling oil?

What makes you think 'tax money' will provide these things?

That oil money they've been dividing amongst themselves should have been spent on Nigeria and its people.

Until we have a govt that people can trust the issue of taxes should be forgotten.

And I have asked the question - how much does a politician pay in taxes?

Its a known fact that wherever you go in the world - the rich dodge taxes and its the poor man that pay's the most.

There is enough hardship and inequality in Nigeria already - taxing the poor masses will make this worse.

GEK/Okonjo Iweala are evil

Nwa_Nimo: Re: Anyone who does not pay taxes has no right to demand better infrastructure, or education, or power, etc, PERIOD. Those things don't come from thin air,.....blah blah blah.

Going back to the oil revenue thing - isn't it what they are meant to have done over the many decades we've been selling oil?

What makes you think 'tax money' will provide these things?

That oil money they've been dividing amongst themselves should have been spent on Nigeria and its people.

Until we have a govt that people can trust the issue of taxes should be forgotten.

And I have asked the question - how much does a politician pay in taxes?

Its a known fact that wherever you go in the world - the rich dodge taxes and its the poor man that pay's the most.

There is enough hardship and inequality in Nigeria already - taxing the poor masses will make this worse.

GEK/Okonjo Iweala are evil

I think even you realise you don't have leg to stand on with this position of yours. Again, you can criticise the implementation, but saying you wouldn't pay tax because you don't think they would spend the money well can be used to justify not paying taxes because one does not support the party in power. Where does it say in the article that the tax only applies to the poor? Anyone who does not pay tax has no justification for complaining about lack of development, PERIOD.

You cannot keep on going back to oil money not spent wisely in the past to justify tax dodging now, I could easily have asked you what the citizenry has done to ensure that it is better spent now. But of course you'd rather tow the line that involves you paying nothing for all those dreams you habour for Nigeria. We might keep getting the same plroblem , but what have the people done different?

And out of interest, how much money do you think needs to be spent on say power to give Nigeria the generating capacity it requires to provide for the whole country, I am really curious. Do you think last year's budget even covers it? Please stop with these embarassing arguments, I think Nigerians might sometimes suffer from delusions of grandeur about the country. Being rich in potential does not make one rich. Power sector needs attention, so does education, infrastructure, economy, police, military, etc. And you think that could be directly paid for with the chicken change we get from selling crude oil in a country of over 140million? Are you kidding me?

Johnathan is failing in one area (at least the one I know for sure). He is failing to make information available to people. Tell us how much you have, how much you get from other indirect taxation schemes like toll gates, market gate fees. Tell us how much you get from income tax. SHow us your own tax documents and let others people in government show us their tax receipts. Tell us how much you get by selling Nigeria's resources like oil. Tell us how you have stopped the various wastages in the guise of overpayment for projects that can be done for a lot less. In short give us an exhaustive list of federal government's revenue and expenditure. That is your job and it is not too hard to do. There are definitely some federal expenditure that we can do without. Things like birthday cake for independence, new ministerial offices (let them stay in whatever offices they are using now). After you compile this list and we find that there's a genuine need to give FG more money. Then we pay more tax.