By Dipo Olowookere
The urgent need for the Federal Government as well as other states of the federation to take a cue from the financial and resource management technique of Lagos State in canvassing organizations and residents for prompt and adequate payment of taxes has been emphasised.
This view was shared by the Lagos State Commissioner for Establishment Training and Pensions, Dr Akintola Benson Oke, during the Rotary 2018 Symposium in Ikeja recently.
The Commissioner said business owners, individuals and private organizations should learn how to pay accurate taxes to enable government deliver on its mandate and provide the necessary amenities for the public good.
Speaking on the programme titled ‘Effects of Business and Professional Ethics and Economic Growth in Nigeria’, organised by the Rotary District 9110, the Commissioner decried how tax evasion had contributed greatly to the dearth of public infrastructure across the country.
The Commissioner, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Office of Establishment and Training, Mrs Clara Omotilewa Ibirogba, said it was surprising that some influential members of the society and business moguls were in the habit of evading taxes while others pay promptly as responsible and law-abiding citizens.
While encouraging a change of attitude, Mr Oke noted that the effect of tax evasion will impact on the revenue accruable to the government, thereby making it difficult for the government to meet its set targets for the provision of public needs.
“For any organization or individual to be a partaker of true democracy, accurate tax payment must become a corporate governance culture, which involves the citizens performing their civic responsibilities on one hand and the government doing its part on the other,” he opined.
The Commissioner who presented a paper on the theme, “The effects of business and professional ethics on the economic growth in Nigeria”, said the Nigerian society must eschew some unprofessional practices that are detrimental to the overall image of the country locally and internationally.
Earlier, in his welcome address, the District Governor, Dr Adewale Ogunbadejo, stated that for some problems in the society to be solved, ethical consciousness must be given a priority for the benefits of generations unborn.
“Our country is suffering. Many are immoral, unethical in behaviour and in business; corruption and negligence have ruined the entire nation. We have a chance to change it by doing and teaching the younger ones what is right”, the District Governor said.
