The Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria has recognized and rewarded students who excelled in a quiz competition organised to promote tax culture among youths and increase government revenue.
The Punch reported that the CITN presented different prizes to secondary school students with outstanding performances during the grand finale of the Lagos State all-secondary schools tax quiz competition program.
The quiz competition programme which held in Lagos was sponsored by a member of the institute, Pro Ezekiel Williams.
It was reported that the winner of the quiz was given N300,000 and a scholarship to cover their first year of university studies, while the second and third place winners received N200,000 and N100,000 respectively.
Moreover, other exceptional participants were also presented with consolation prizes.
In the words of the President, CITN, Chief Adesina Adedayo, “We actually created this programme in order to ensure that the issue of taxation is brought to the level of the classroom, and in order to make this happen, we have decided that we are not waiting till they get to tertiary levels, we should start dealing with it at secondary level.
“When it is clear that the knowledge of taxation, the laws, the administration and the policy framework are understood by students at this basic level, it is clear that we are winning the fight against ignorance.”
Meanwhile, he added that the quiz competition programme had been organised in some other states to reduce tax ignorance.
The sponsors, Mr. Williams stated that the event was sponsorship to increase tax literacy amongst Nigerians.
Williams said, “We have been having the dearth of knowledge in taxation. If you ask an average adult in Nigerian that what is the meaning of tax, most of them cannot even give you a definition.
“We want to catch them young so that at this level of their age, they will understand what the issue of taxation.”
He further stressed that if Nigeria has a properly developed tax system, there would be no reason to borrow money to fund its budget.
Speaking about the programme, the Chairman, Students Affairs and Tertiary Education Relations Committee, Dr Titilayo Fowokan, said “the CITN had the support of Lagos State to organise the quiz, and that about 60 schools and 700 students participated.
“We know that taxation is something that even some adults don’t want to hear about, but we believe that we should inculcate in our young ones the taxpaying culture, learning about taxation and also letting them understand that tax is a lucrative business.
“So we want to start catching them from secondary school, create the interest in taxation in them to let them know it can be taken as a career of choice,” she added.
