RMAFC Chairman: Less than 40 million Nigerians pay taxes.

Nigerians must make an effort to pay their taxes, according to Muhammad Shehu, Chairman of the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, in order to increase government revenue and enhance service delivery. This comes as the head of RMAFC observed that currently, fewer than 40 million Nigerians are included in the tax system and paying taxes. For a nation with a population of more over 200 million, he remarked, “that is too low.” Shehu highlighted that, contrary to popular belief among Nigerians, political office holders in Nigeria do not receive extravagant remuneration in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday. The head of the RMAFC also made a suggestion that the commission had created software to increase openness in revenue generating and sharing among the three levels of government.

He applauded President Bola Tinubu’s recent decision to establish a Tax Reform Committee and its concept. He promised that the committee will make great efforts to bring members of the informal economy into the tax system.

“The informal economy is the subject of intense debate. This tax reform group will coordinate the efforts of numerous organizations, including RMAFC. We belong to that committee. We will communicate anything we feel can be useful to the conversation after outlining our perspective. In the end, he said, “we will have a better society where more individuals pay taxes and the money is used for better infrastructure and services for every Nigerian to benefit. He encouraged the Nigeria Customs Service and the Federal Inland Revenue Service to work together to identify specific groups of Nigerians who avoid taxes.

There are several taxes that Nigerians are not paying to the government. I think the FIRS will take a close look at each of those issues before working with the NCS to improve efficiency. “I believe that every Nigerian should make an effort to pay their taxes because services are paid for with those funds. “The taxes that citizens pay are used to fund all the things that people like to tell you about other countries’ clean surroundings, good roads, and functional infrastructure.

“People need to learn how to pay their water and energy bills, just like they do with their phone recharge cards.

“The more taxes you pay, the more money the government has to spend on building roads and railroads, better hospitals, pensions, social security, and a better program to assist the needy,” he stated.

In response to recent criticism from Nigerians of allegations about a 114 percent raise in political office holders’ pay suggested by the commission, during what they described as severe economic challenges in the country.

Shehu said it was untrue what was said concerning the pay raise.

To determine and assess the wages of executive, legislative, and judicial authorities, he asserted, was RMAFC’s constitutional duty.

The last time their pay were evaluated, he claimed, was in 2007.

There hasn’t been a single review since 2008, he claimed that in light of the current economic hardships being experienced by Nigerians, the commission would not even examine the rumoured rise at this time