Olubadan charges govts to let taxes have positive effects on citizens
BY STEPHEN GBADAMOSI
The Olubadan of Ibadanland, His Imperial Majesty Oba (Dr.) Rasidi Adewolu Ladoja (Arusa1), has called on government at all levels to let the members of the public have the positive impacts of the taxes they pay.
The appeal was contained in a press release issued and signed by the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Olubadan of Ibadanland, Chief Ayoade Solomon Olugbemiga, shortly after a courtesy visit paid by the top management staff of the Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (ITN) to Oba Ladoja at his palace, Oke Aremo, Ibadan on Thursday.
According to Oba Ladoja, members of the public paid taxes to enjoy the necessities of life which include security, water supply, good roads, power supply, job opportunities, among others.
“To enjoy the above mentioned amenities, members of the public are enjoined to be alive to their civic responsibilities; for, if taxes are not paid, government may be forced to seek for loans,” he explained.
Oba Ladoja also said that double taxation should be discouraged, in the interest of all; “consequently, taxation experts like members of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), should be involved in taxation matters.”
The monarch invited the visitors to move round Ibadan to see the tourist attractions of the ancient city to enable them contribute their quotas to the development of Ibadanland.
Earlier in his address, the president of the CITN, Mr. Innocent Chinyere Ohagwa, said they were at the palace to receive royal blessings.
According to CITN president, Ibadan occupied a distinguished place in Nigeria’s history, as a city of culture, scholarship, business/commerce and leadership.
Mr. Ohagwa acknowledged Kabiyesi’s remarkable voice and intellect towards shaping Nigeria’s democratic experience at a defining movement in national history.
“Beyond seeking your royal blessings, we have also come to draw from the wisdom of the traditional institutions which historically represents one of the earliest framework though which taxation and communal contributions were organised in our society.
“Long before modern tax laws and revenue authorities emerged, traditional institutions played a vital role in taxation and the legacy remains instructive even today,” he said.
The CITN is the foremost professional body responsible for regulating the practice of taxation in Nigeria. The institute traces its root to February 14, 1982, when it was established as the Association of Tax Administration and Practitioners. The institute was formerly chartered by an Act of National Assembly in 1992.
Present at the courtesy visit were Oba (Dr.) Kolawole Adegbola, the Otun Balogun of Ibadanland; Chief Muibi Ademola, the Aare Alasa Olubadan; and Chief Adegboyega Taofik Adegoke, the Aare Egbe Omo Balogun of Ibadanland.
