By Dipo Olowookere
The Nigerian government has threatened to release list of tax defaulters in the country before the end of this month.
Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS), Mr Babatunde Fowler, dropped this hint on Wednesday after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held in Abuja.
Mr Fowler, who was addressing newsmen on update of the Voluntary Assets Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS), which ended on June 30, 2018, said the next step will be to release the list by the middle of July 2018.
The VAIDS was launched on July 1, 2017 by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and was meant to end on March 31, 2018. But the federal government extended it for another three months to allow more tax defaulters to regularise their taxes.
“The update is that it (VAIDS) expired June 30, 2018 and anyone who has not come forth by now, we shall use all the legal means to make sure that we bring them to book and make sure that they pay the appropriate tax with interests and penalties,” he said.
Commenting on the response the scheme had, the tax chief said, “Well, the response has been very good. We are collating all the figures both at the federal levels and the states levels and I believe that by the middle of July, we should be able to tell the nation the exact progress in terms of the numbers that have declared, amount that has been paid and the amount that is going to be paid in installments.”
Adedapo Adesanya