FG Employs 7,500 Graduates to Raise Tax Base to 17m

By Dipo Olowookere

In an effort to increase the tax base of the country to 17 million in the next two years from its present 14 million, the Federal Government has mapped out plans to recruit about 7,500 graduates for this purpose.

The major responsibility of these graduates would be to sensitise Nigerians on why they should pay tax to the government to continue to enjoy basic amenities and other things being provided by the government to them.

Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, who addressed the media on Thursday in Abuja alongside the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr Babatunde Fowler, stated that the 7,500 graduates for this job would only be engaged for two years.

She disclosed that they would work as community tax liaison officers posted to offices of the FIRS across the country.

According to her, they would be employed through the ongoing FG’s N-Power recruitment exercise and would be paid N30,000 monthly like the others on the scheme.

“Government plans to recruit 7,500 graduates who will work to increase the number of taxpayers in the country to about 17 million from 14 million within the next two years,” she said.

“Their main responsibility, as community tax liaison officers, would be to enlighten people in public places like markets, schools, religious centres, offices, among others on the need to pay taxes,” the Minister added.

She noted that the hired graduates would receive performance-based incentives, which would be measured by the number of people they connect to the tax base.

Mrs Adeosun assured the recruits of government’s determination to make them tax professionals and administrators through additional training programmes, urging intelligent graduates with degrees in accounting and economics or other similar fields to apply for the N-Power programme.