Nigeria to clamp down on tax evading lottery licensees

The Nigerian Government on Wednesday indicated it will launch an investigation into the suspected tax evasion of a number of licensed lottery operators.

The Committee on Governmental Affairs was mandated by the House of Representatives to delve into the activities of lottery licensees going back to the year 2000.

The motion filed by the Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas claimed only two of the 21 licensed lottery operators in the country had met their tax obligations over the past few years.

“All over the world, tax evasion is deemed a very serious offence as most advanced countries sustain their economies through effective and transparent taxation system where operators of businesses pay their taxes promptly,” the motion reads.

“The Nigerian Lottery Commission can become one of the revenue generating agencies if the operators of lottery are made to pay taxes to the government as and when due, as the government needs the money to execute various projects rather than borrowing to fund the annual budget.”

Namdas claims the majority of licensed lottery operators have not only evaded their tax obligations but cloaked the nature and type of games being played, the list of winners and total amounts generated over the past 10 years.

It is understood the investigating committee, who will report back to the House of Representatives in six weeks, will expand its enquiries to include illegal operators in the country.

Related and similar