Chief Demola Seriki, former minister of State for Interior has said that churches and mosques that own businesses should pay tax to the government.
Chief Demola Seriki in an interview with Punch said that “In the face of the dwindling price of crude oil, churches and mosques that own businesses should pay tax to the government.”
The ex-minister who also served as a supervising Minister of Mines and Steel under the late President Umaru Yar’Adua’s administration also said religious bodies, especially churches, had built large business empires including universities but many of them were not paying tax adding that “the wealth being made from these businesses was used in buying private jets with the government losing out.”
Chief Demola Seriki while clarifying his point further explained that “Places of worship such as churches and mosques should not pay tax but when they go into investment outside their main focus, they must pay tax.” Citing example for churches who have hundreds of houses on their various religious camp grounds but do not pay tax to the government because they are registered as religious organisations.
Chief Seriki also expressed concerns for the nation’s economy saying that the country needs to forget about oil revenue as a means of funding the 2016 budget adding that the $38 per barrel benchmark for the 2016 budget was no longer feasible as oil price had fallen below $30 and might fall further. Proffering that the Nation generate revenue through the Federal Inland Revenue Service, the Nigerian Communications Commission, the Nigerian Ports Authority, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies.