Having observed that several expatriates may have been in the habit of evading taxation, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has urged the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to assist the state with the statistics of the entire expatriates working in the state for effective taxation.
Wike made the remark when he received the Controller of Immigration, Aminu Yarima, who paid him a courtesy call in Port Harcourt as part of the Immigration chief’s familiarization tour of formations.
According to the governor, the statistics was necessary to ensure that the expatriates did not evade tax.
Wike alleged that most foreign companies in the state deliberately withhold the accurate number of foreigners working with them, stressing that criminal act has made it difficult for the state Revenue Service to collect the legal taxes.
The Governor said “We need the support of the Nigeria Immigration Service on the number of expatriates working in the state,” noting that “This information is vital to our revenue drive.”
Wike said that a partnership between the NIS and the state Internal Revenue Service would go a long way to improving the state revenue base.
