FG to Tighten Noose Around Tax Defaulters by Obtaining Bank Details Obinna Chima The federal government is currently working on modalities to implement the common reporting standards (CRS) in the country, which would enable it to obtain every taxpayers’ information directly
from the commercial banks. The CRS is a standard for automatic exchange of bank accounts information on individuals and certain types of entities. All countries that have implemented the standard will be required to automatically exchange this
information on an annual basis. In August 2017, Nigeria took a step towards implementing the standard by signing the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) on the CRS. Implementing the CRS will
allow Nigeria to automatically receive information on the bank accounts held in other countries by Nigeria tax residents. Partner, Tax and Regulatory Services Unit with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Nigeria, Esiri Agbeyi,
disclosed this at the weekend while making a presentation at an event organised by the Securities, Wealth and Asset Management unit of Ecobank in Lagos. Esiri explained that when the CRS is fully implemented in the country, all banks would
have to submit information about their taxpayers’ information, identity numbers and bank verification numbers (BVN), among others to the tax authorities. With this, the tax authorities Continued on page 10
Two Nigerians Among Victims of Italian Far Right Gunman.… Page 57 Monday 5 February, 2018 Vol 23. No 8327. Price: N250
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Ganduje Urges Fulani Herdsmen to Relocate to Kano Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano
L-R; Chief Adekunle Ojora; Executive Vice-Chairman, Ibru Organisation, Chief Oscar Ibru; Chief Ojuolape Ojora; Mr. Frances Awogboro; and Chairman/ Editor-in-Chief, THISDAY Newspaper and ARISE News Channel, Mr. Nduka Obaigbena, at the 28th year memorial service held in memory of the late Mrs. Elsie Nelly Michael Ibru, in Lagos… yesterday
Kano State governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje yesterday called on all Fulani herdsmen resident in other parts of the country, especially Benue and Taraba States, to relocate to Kano since the state has vast grazing land to accommodate them and their cattle. Ganduje, who stated this while inspecting the vaccination of over one million cattle and other small animals free-of-charge at the Kadawa artificial insemination centre in Garum Malam Local Government Area of the state, as part of activities to mark the 2017/2018 livestock vaccination programme, condemned the recent killings arising from Continued on page 10
IBB Speaks to THISDAY, Affirms Statement, Says Nigeria Needs New Breed of Leaders Says Buhari has right to contest, but era of ‘analogue’ leadership is over Backs restructuring, decries rising insecurity, disappointed in APC ‘change’ mantra PDP hails former military leader, presidency, APC keep mum Iyobosa Uwugiaren, Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja, Tobi Soniyi in Lagos and Laleye Dipo in Minna Following the confusion that arose from a counter-statement purportedly issued by former
military president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida yesterday retracting an earlier statement in the day, in which he called for a new generation of leaders to assume the mantle of leadership in the country come 2019, the retired military
general spoke exclusively to THISDAY saying that his “original statement still stands”. Babangida said the second statement was issued by friends and had nothing to do with him, but expressed
concern that his initial statement issued by his media aide, Mr. Kassim Afegbua, had been misrepresented by the media. According to him, what his statement titled, “Towards a National Rebirth,” emphasised
was for a new breed of leadership to emerge through the electoral process, but was not intended to deny President Muhammadu Buhari his inalienable right to vote and be voted for in the 2019 elections.
He was emphatic that his statement did not counsel Buhari not to contest the 2019 elections as depicted by media houses in their headlines yesterday. Continued on page 10