APPRAISING THE ROLE OF THE FEDERAL INLAND REVENUE SERVICE IN THE ENFORCEMENT OF TAX LAWS IN NIGERIA

Taxation is one of the avenues by which governments worldwide realize revenue to fund critical expenditures such as defense, law and order, health services, education, social welfare and economic infrastructure. Taxation from time immemorial has been deployed by government as fiscal weapon to plan and direct the economy to bring about economic growth and development. It has also served the useful egalitarian purpose as instrument for social equalization. It is the goal of every tax system that taxes are yielded voluntarily or compelled at very minimal compliance cost’. Since the discovery of crude oil in Oloibiri in 1956 Nigeria has depended largely on this resource as major state revenue. Unpredictable fluctuations in global oil market, the exhaustible nature of this resource and the concomitant environmental abuses that goes with its exploitation resulting in the insecurity in the Niger Delta region have collectively brought to the fore the dangers in continued dependence on oil revenue. This reality has awakened the debate on more sustainable revenue sources to fund government programmes and policies. It is desired that non-oil revenue will eventually account for a substantial portion of the country’s total revenues. Taxation as a viable alternative now occupies the front burner in national debates.