FG to employ graduates for N30,000 as tax liaison officers

The Federal Government has revealed plans to hire 7,500 graduates as it targets to increase the number of taxpayers in the country in the next two years from the current 14 million to 17 million.

The plan was made known by the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, when she spoke at a media briefing on Thursday in Abuja in company of the executive chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mr. Babatunde Fowler, and other top officials in the ministry.

According to Adeosun, the 7,500 graduates to be recruited by the Federal Government will work as community tax liaison officers to improve the level of tax consciousness in the country, adding that they would be recruited under the government N-Power programme for a two-year period with a payment of N30, 000 as salary.

Graduates that will be given priority for the jobs during recruitment will be those with backgrounds in accounting, economics and similar fields, she said.

“We will be recruiting them through N-Power and they can apply through the website of the Federal Ministry of Finance or through the N-Power website. It’s a two year fixed contract and they will be deployed in states and attached to states’ internal revenue service or the FIRS.

“Their job is to improve the level of education on Nigeria’s tax system. Our tax system is progressive, meaning those who earn less should pay less, and those who earn more should pay more. A lot of people don’t know that. So it’s a chance to get people on ground to answer all these pertinent questions,” Adeosun revealed.

Read also: Inflation records 16.25 % in May –NBS

The minister, who encouraged intelligent graduates interested in pursuing a profession in tax administration to apply for the job, maintained that, the exercise was extremely important for the fiscal sustainability of the states since most of the revenue for the states apart, from FAAC, is supposed to come from tax.

“So if we improve the number of taxpayers, we will be improving the fiscal health of our state governments as well as the Federal Government.

“It’s an important initiative for the nation as we undertake reforms to reduce our overdependence on oil. We have to make sure that everyone who is economically active pays tax, no matter how little, they have to contribute to the pool,” she said.

Shockingly however, Adeosun, when was asked how much the Federal Government intends to pay the graduates; said that those who would be employed under the scheme will be paid N30, 000 monthly.

 

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