The Federal government says it will recruit 7,500 Nigerian graduates of accounting and law to function as Community Liaison Officers in a bid to raise tax awareness among Nigerians.
Correspondent Lara Afolayan reports that Forty million Nigerians are eligible to pay tax but just fourteen million of them voluntarily do so, making the nation’s tax to gross domestic product one of the lowest in the world at 6%.
A voluntary asset and income declaration scheme has now been put in place by government to boost tax compliance.
The minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun says the Community Liaison Officers to be employed will help deal with ignorance on tax matters through massive awareness efforts across the country.
The officers will be recruited under government’s N’Power scheme and they will assist in enrolling new converts into the tax net and in the issuance of TIN numbers.
The fiscal authorities add that evasion and avoidance issues in taxation will now be taken more seriously.
Nigeria’s voluntary asset and income declaration scheme has a one billion dollar revenue target and aims to increase tax to GDP ratio by 18%.
It already offers defaulters a six month window period for voluntary declaration and payment of liabilities with effect from May 1st.
