The Nigerian Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), has threatened to sanction individuals, organisations and agencies violating its order that tax clearance certificates be presented before transactions within the territory.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello, said this in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital during a Town Hall meeting organised by the FCT IRS with the theme Demand and Verification of Tax Clearance Certificate.
The Minister who was represented at a town hall meeting by the FCT permanent secretary, Olusola Adesola, on the demand and verification of tax clearance certificates by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), commercial banks and corporate bodies before transactions, threatened to commence immediate arrest and prosecution of tax evaders in the FCT.
Lamenting the huge expenditure it incurred on provision of infrastructure and essential services, the FCT minister said residents have a lot to gain if taxes are paid regularly.
“I therefore, use this opportunity to send a note of strong warning to tax evaders to desist from their actions. Not only are their actions morally wrong as they ride on the sweat of others but their actions are also serious criminal offences
for which they can face very severe penalties on they conviction.” Bello said.
He noted that the FCTA “has the mandate to build for our nation a capital Territory that is comparable to the best in the world. And for over four decades, we have delivered on this mandate as Abuja has indeed turned out to be a
very beautiful city indeed as testified to severally by visitors to the city.”
“It must however be admitted that if we are to continue to provide world class infrastructure for the city, we need a
greatly improved revenue base which can only be attained by a robust tax policy where all who call FCT home also contribute through faxes to her development“, the Minister added.
He however pledged to address issues of multiple taxation in the territory.
According to him, “We are not unmindful of complaints about multiple taxation and other sundry challenges in our tax regime. This matter is also of grave concern to us and we are taking measures to resolve the issue because it also impacts negatively on our efforts of encouraging investment in the
Territory”
The Executive Chairman, FCT- Internal Revenue Service, Mr Haruna Abdullahi, made it clear that the existing law provides that “failure to demand and verify a Tax Clearance Certificate presented by an individual is liable to sanctions and possible conviction with a fine of N5,000,000.00 (Five Million Naira) or three years imprisonment or both the fine and imprisonment”
” I would urge all residents and relevant stakeholders to choose voluntary compliance over compulsion.
I would like to briefly reiterate; it is imperative that a Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC) is demanded as a pre-condition for various transactions in the FCT and it is instructive to note that the law requires such from Government Ministries, Departments, Agencies and Commercial Banks”, he stressed.
