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The Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) has identified weak institutions and poor leadership as major factors responsible for rising cases of tax fraud in the country.
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The President and Chairman of CITN, CITN,Adesina Adedayo stated this while delivering a keynote speech at its 2023 yearly seminar for the Society of Women in Taxation (SWIT) in Abuja.
Adedayo said: “We talk about tax as the main reason we have a country. Unfortunately, when taxes are collected and submitted to appropriate authorities, the revenues are stolen by the same people that ought to manage them for the overall well-being of the country.
‘’The question is, what is responsible for that? The simple answer is that we have poor leadership; our institutions are very weak to apply relevant laws to punish offenders.’’
He said there is a need for all to see the country as a nation and address the people’s factor.
“If people do not buy into your vision, you cannot make progress. We need to start engaging Nigerians on what exactly we want or how we want to run our country. These are very important issues we can no longer neglect,” he said.
Speaking on ‘The Role of Women in achieving Sustainable Development Through Taxation’, Council Member/SWIT Life Patron, Dr. Justina Okoror, said women have been identified as more committed to tax payment when compared to their male counterparts across the globe.
“Women will always obey the laws of the land, which advocate tax payments. They are the bedrock of the society at large,” he said.
The SWIT National Chairperson, Dr. Ruth Abiola Adimula, said in the space of two years of her executive team, SWIT state chapters had increased from nine to 20.
“Eleven state chapters have been inaugurated making SWIT in operation in 20 states across Nigeria,” she said.
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