FIRS Targets Skit Makers And Influencers: Crackdown On Tax Evasion Looms

FIRS Targets Skit Makers And Influencers: Crackdown On Tax Evasion Looms

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has set its sights on skit makers, influencers, and digital content creators, revealing plans to ensure they comply with tax payment regulations in Nigeria…..READ MORE

Dare Adekambi, the Special Adviser on Media to the FIRS chairman, conveyed the agency’s intention to address a significant segment of tax evaders, consisting of social media content creators and influencers.

Adekambi explained that FIRS would initiate a meeting with these entertainers to discuss the importance of voluntarily paying taxes. However, if this appeal falls on deaf ears, the agency will resort to enforcement measures.

“They are not paying. Skit makers, influencers, and other content creators who are making money using digital platforms need to be paying tax. There is a law in Nigeria that requires everybody who earns income to pay tax. They earn in dollars. Tax is a civic obligation; civil servants are paying, so they also have to pay,” Adekambi emphasized.

He highlighted the discussions between the FIRS chairman and the Corporate Affairs Commission’s Registrar-General on collaborating to bring content creators into the tax net. The challenge lies in tracking them, but FIRS is actively exploring solutions.

Adekambi stressed the need for a meeting with content creators and influencers, emphasizing the government’s friendly approach to encourage voluntary tax payment. If this approach is disregarded, the FIRS will resort to enforcement measures.

The FIRS adviser argued that social media content creators and influencers pay taxes in developed countries, and since the platforms themselves contribute to government revenue, those profiting from these platforms should also contribute.

“If Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms are paying taxes to the government, why would people using those platforms to create content and make money not pay? By the time a committee is set up to look into it, a broad spectrum of activities will be covered,” Adekambi concluded.