- The Federal Inland Revenue Service said there was no plan to increase VAT by 50 per cent
- The agency said it instead called for reduction of tax for small businesses
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) on Wednesday refuted report of planned increment of Value Added Tax (VAT) by 50 per cent to meet up payment of the newly proposed minimum wage.
The Head, Communication and Servicom Department, Mr Wahab Gbadamosi, made this known in a statement in Abuja.
READ ALSO; APC’s victory is a loss for the country - Saraki
The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udo Udoma and Dr Babatunde Fowler, FIRS Chairman, had appeared before Senate Committee on Finance at the 2019-2021 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper ((PSP) interactive meeting on Tuesday.
Gbadamosi explained that at the meeting, Fowler had called for an increase in the number of Nigerians and companies paying VAT and not a 50 per cent increase in VAT rate as reported.
He said that contrary to reports in the media, the FIRS Chairman called for a reduction in Companies Income Tax (CIT) rate for small businesses so as to improve compliance.
“Though he indicated that there should be an increase in VAT rate by the end of the year, he never for once suggested a 50 per cent hike of any percentage increase at all.
“Rather, he promised improved collection in CIT, Petroleum Profits Tax, PPT and VAT in 2019 relative to the collection performance of the Service in 2018,” he said.
Legit.ng had reported that the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), on Tuesday, March 19, urged Nigerians to brace for an increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) by between 35 and 50 per cent in 2019.
READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda
This will raise the VAT from the current five per cent to between 6.75 and 7.25 per cent.
The chairman of FIRS, Babatunde Fowler, dropped the hint when he appeared alongside other top officials in the Federal Ministry of Finance before the Senate Committee on Finance in Abuja.
NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better.
Minimum Wage: Is N30,000 Too Much for FG to Pay Workers? - Nigeria Street Gist | Legit TV
Source: Legit.ng
