- Harps on stakeholders' enlightenment on tax collection processes
By VICTOR NWEGEDE 
In Ebonyi State, the Abakaliki District Chairman of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, CITN, Barr. George Ukpai, on Sunday urged the stakeholders in charge of tax collections to always engage themselves on enlightenment and interaction with the provisions of the law as required while discharging their duties.
Ukpai said this while interacting with newsmen after the Abakaliki District members' Thanksgiving Service in the Catholic Church, St. Patrick Parish, Kpirikpiri, as part of commemorating the CITN 40th Anniversary in the country.
He explained the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, CITN, as a regulatory body of tax payment in the country.
The Chairman said the tax payment regulatory body was established, because the law does not allow brigaddies as a system of tax collection in any part of the country.
"This body was established to ensure that the law is implemented as much as possible. It's because when the collection of tax becomes hostile, it becomes one of the challenges in the society, and that's why we are to ensure that human faces are given the required treatment according to the law.
"To curtail this, a very simple thing should be done - enlightenment, and constant interaction between the stakeholders and the tax payers.
"The stakeholders should be constantly interacted and provisions of the law on the requirement. There should be constant interaction between the two parties, to ensure that a mutual relationship exists between the tax collectors and tax payers.
"There is need to use persuasive approach in carrying out taxation. People that are not enlightened do not know the important proceedure, because they always feel they are being unnecessarily taxed.
"They should be enlightened and come to appreciate them, you will see them voluntarily complying. So, enlightenment and interaction are the magic words in taxation.
Speaking on the cases
of multiple taxation in Nigeria, Ukpai noted that the tax law was sufficiently provided and followed by the body but on the cases of non-compliance, the law should be enforced accordingly to get compliance.
"The institute ensures in industry that there's a meeting point between the tax payers and tax administrators. What we mostly see, is that there are cases of tax payers avoiding tax, and also sometimes, pay tax. Now, when they do that the tax collectors will certainly do something to ensure that the tax payers are in line with the law. In line with the law, it doesn't support over taxation, but when such cases are established, the best thing to do is to raise an objection.
"Take for instance in Ebonyi State here, if a tax payer feels aggrieved, he should bring his case to Tax Commission, and that Commission is an independent body that will judiciously look into the matter.
Anything above that, there is Tax Appeal Commission and in South East, it's located in Enugu. So you can take your grievance to the commission," he said.
Our correspondent reports that apart from the Church Service Thanksgiving by Barr Ukpai, the CITN Chairman of Abakaliki District alongside his members, they had on Monday their tax road walk, and other activities for the event are public lecture to hold on Tuesday February 1, 2022, Visit to IDP camps and Orphanage Homes on Thursday February 3, 2022 and Dinner to hold on Saturday February 5, 2022.
