VALUE ADDED TAX AS A MEANS OF GENERATING REVENUE FOR THE GOVERNMENT

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Taxation is an important factor in Economic planning and also an agent for social change. It is perhaps the last to understand and most unappreciated instrument among other government policies by the citizens, yet they expect government to provide some services. This must probably owing to the fact that most people, particularly in developing countries like Nigeria, have very little knowledge of how the machineries of government operate. Thus, the taxman is seen by an average Nigeria as a monster always ready to prey on its victims, or a plague that must be avoided at all cost. Benjamin Franklin, Philosopher, observed that “in this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.” The certainty of taxes have been established long in Nigeria.

Before the arrival of the Colonial Masters, Nigeria had been paying taxes in kind by giving farm products to their rulers and rendering free services such as clearing the bush, digging pit toilets, well e.t.c., for the benefits of the community as a whole. Income tax was first introduced in Nigeria in 1904 by the Late Lord Lugard, various types of taxes there after come into being through sub-sequences government. Despite the fact that there are other sources government could generate revenue to fashion a society everyone can be proud of. Taxes are not new in Nigeria but Value Added Tax (VAT) is the most recent form of tax known to Nigerians. The idea of introducing VAT in Nigeria came from the report of the study groups set up the Federal Government in 1991, review the entire fan system VAT was proposed and a committee was set up by carrying out feasibility studies on its implementation. In January 1993, government agreed to introduce VAT by the middle of the year, it was later shied to 1st September 1993, by which time the relevance legislature (Decree No 102 of 1993) would have been made and proper ground work done. VAT, which replaces sales tax in Nigeria, is administered by the Federal Inland Revenue Services (F.I.R.S) through VAT directorate in close co-operation with the Nigeria custom services (NcS) and the State Inland Revenue Services (S.I.R.S).