Faced with a worrying tax compliance crisis, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has revealed that only between 10 and 19 percent of Nigerians pay taxes, making it one of the lowest compliance rates on the continent.
Speaking at the public presentation of a new children’s tax education book titled “Taxation Essential Knowledge for Nigerian Children,” in Abuja, on Tuesday, FIRS Executive Chairman, Zacch Adedeji, said the figures are drawn from both internal studies and external research.
Adedeji, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Research and Statistics, Aisha Hamman, said: “First of all, I want to say that we have done a couple of studies and found that tax compliance is positively correlated with tax education.
“So, when children are educated, they grow up to become responsible individuals, pay their taxes, and do what is right. Our studies have shown that only 19 percent of Nigerians pay tax.
“Other studies have shown that only 10 percent of citizens pay tax. Some researchers have shown that only 10 to 15 percent of citizens pay tax. This is extremely low compared to other countries, even within Africa.”
