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FG may ban tax defaulters from travelling abroad

By BusinessNews Staff on April 3, 2014

The Federal Government has said it is working on an arrangement where the presentation of the Tax Clearance Certificate will be made a compulsory requirement for Nigerians who intend to make overseas travels.

The Acting Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Alhaji Kabir Mashi, stated this on Tuesday in Abuja at the Centennial Trade Fair organised by the Abuja Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture.

The fair also provided a platform for Nollywood actors to educate Nigerians about their tax obligations.

Mashi said the Federal Government would no longer tolerate the practice of tax evasion, adding that the payment of taxes was vital for economic development.

The TCC is a document issued by the FIRS or by states’ Boards of Internal Revenue indicating the holder has been cleared of his tax liabilities in the past three years from the day of issuance.

“For a few who may have decided to still run against the law, please note that very soon, you won’t be able to do business or travel abroad, I mean to any part of the world, without evidence of tax payment and attestation, otherwise called the Tax Clearance Certificate,” the FIRS boss said.

Mashi, who was represented by the Coordinating Director, Direct Reports Group, FIRS, Mrs. Queensley Seghosime, noted that it was against the law to do transactions with companies and entities that had no Taxpayer Identification Number.

“To our partners in the non-governmental organisations, note that in addition to registering with the Corporate Affairs Commission, you are also under obligation to register with the tax authorities, obtain a TIN and file your annual tax returns with the FIRS,” he added.

Also speaking at the event, the President, ABUCIMMA, Mr. Solomon Nyagba, called for a stronger collaboration between the chamber and the FIRS to ease the process of tax payment.

[Punch]

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