ABSTRACT
The work is titled
“Taxation System: Its impact on public servant”(A study of Ebonyi State).
The work is a critical and objective analysis of Nigeria tax system. Accordingly,
the objective of this research is to examine whether the tax law in which
public servants pay tax before earning income is fair to all cadres, To
ascertain how taxes paid on gross income encourages savings and investment
among all working ages. and to review and analyze tax as they affect public servants.
The objectives of this study were
accomplished through the use of descriptive survey research design. The researcher
made use of primary and secondary source of data with dichotomous structured
responses (Yes or No) to solicit responses from public servants. Thereafter,
the responses were presented on tables with percentages scores leading to
answers of research questions 1 and the hypotheses were tested using chi-square
(x2) non-parametric test. The findings showed that public servants
pay tax from net income in contradistinction to an investor or businessman that
pays tax from gross income whereby encourages savings and investment because of
excess cash. Public servants cannot
control the tax system to their advantage. Unlike an investor that pays tax
from gross income; the tax system is a convenience of tax collector than payer;
aggregate of a tax paid by public servant is higher than an average individual
investor; Allowances to public servants do not reflect family size and
responsibility hence high level of poverty among public servants. The
researcher therefore recommends: Government should review tax laws to enable
public servants earn their income, invest before tax. Pay tax on preceding year
basis. There should be tax reduction on public servants and finally Relief to
public servants should be in accord with family size and responsibilities: when
the above is done, it will greatly reduce poverty among public servants in Ebonyi State.
In the olden days, the government imposed taxes to raise
enough money to cover the cost of administration and defense. It was not
unusual for some powerful kings and emperors to raise money for their own
personal uses. Subsequently, it was realized that some services could be
adequately provided for by the state rather than by individual, kings and
Emperors.
Due to ever increasing functions of state, there is every
need for the state to generate revenue by the means of taxation. Taxation is
one of the major sources of public finance and has been a weapon of fiscal and
economic control by the government over the ages. It has been a crucial element
in the life of the individuals, corporate bodies, firms and government agencies
to the extent that a drastic change in the policy in any fiscal year set in
motion a chair of repercussion in homes, offices and factories. These are
compelled by the new monetary and fiscal measures to adjust their accounting
and operating strategies in keeping with the new policies.
Taxation refers to the compulsory payment by individuals
and organizations to the relevant or internal revenue authorities at the
federal, state or local government levels.
A tax therefore, is the compulsory payment in which the
government levies on the individuals and on the income of corporate bodies to
spend the cost of public expenditure.
According to Chukwu (2002) “Taxation is levying of
compulsory charges on certain items and individuals by government as a way of
raising revenue for public service”.
Anyanwucha (2006) defines taxation as a compulsory payment
made by the eligible citizen toward the expenditure of a state. A tax is levied
by the government without regard to the specific benefit that those individual
tax payers may receive.
A tax has two elements: The Base and Tax Rate. The base
refers to the item of the object which is taxed and these include personal
income, imports and export company profit property goods for sale. The tax rate
refers to the percentage or proportion of tax base or tax rate object which is
to be paid as tax.
Taxation is used by the government to alleviate the social
burden on the citizens by the provision of social services or amenities. It may
also be used to encourage or discourage the production of certain goods by
allocating or denying fund to such industries.
Taxation is a measure through which the government uses to
fund large project (capital and recurrent expenditure). Without taxes the
operational function of the government would be paralyzed.
Despite policies, principles and institutions put on
ground to ensure that cannon of taxation is maintained, there still exist
injustice, lack of fairness and total in balance in the imposition, method and
time of tax collection in Nigeria.
These have resulted in various problems that need to be
addressed. Problem of the evasion and the avoidance which is increasingly
denying the government huge amount of money.
Secondly, a greater percentage of the population depends
on subsistence agriculture, a situation that makes it extremely difficult to
assess accurately the income of rural farmers and artisans.
Thirdly, the public servants who pay tax honestly are
complain of excess taxation.
Fourthly, tax assessment is based on western
socio-economic background rather than African social environment.
Again certain groups of citizen manipulate the tax laws
and policies to their advantage finally; there is high level of poverty in the
country. These are serious problems that will be addressed by the course of
caring out this research work.
The general
objective of the study into review and analyze tax as they affect public
servants. Other specific objectives include:
1. To examine whether the tax law in which public servants
pay tax before earning income is fair to all cadres of staff.
2. To ascertain how taxes paid on gross income encourage
saving investment among all working ages.
3. To assess the level of dependence of allowances grated to
public servants on the family size and responsibilities.
In the course of research, certain questions will arise,
but pertinent question will be answered. They are:
1. To what extent is the Nigerian tax where public servants
pay tax before earning their income fair?
2. What are the effects of tax collected on gross income or
net income on the tax payer?
3. To what extent are allowances (Relief) granted to public
servants realistic in view of present economic circumstances?
H1: The tax law in which
public servants pay tax before earning income is not fair to all cadres.
H0: The tax laws in which
public servants pay tax before earning income is fair to all cadres.
H1: Taxes paid on gross
income does not encourage savings and investment among all working ages.
H0: Taxes paid on gross income
encourages saving and investment among all working ages.
H1: Allowances (Relief)
granted to public servants in tax is independent of family sizes and
responsibilities.
H0: Allowances (Relief) granted to public
servants in tax is dependent on family sizes and responsibilities.
The study is significant to government chief executives of
various ministries and parastatals and also it is relevant to public servants,
private sectors participate and investors that are subject to paying taxes as
well as government officials concerned with tax administration and collectors.
This research work also tends to:
A. Provide public servants and individuals with awareness
of various tax laws as it affects employees and investors.
B. It will provide ideas and solution that will attract
attention of government on the options that would help in the generation of
revenue as well as reduce the burden of tax on public servants.
C. The research will assist scholars and researcher in
their quest for further research in the area of taxation for the benefit of the
public.
D. To add to the knowledge of the employers of labour,
chief executives as well as the general public in the area of taxation and
revenue generation as part of government fiscal policies.
The scope of the study will be limited to: Taxation
systems, its impact on public servants (A study of Ebonyi State).
This is because of the low standard of living among public servants whose income does not catch up with the
rich businessmen in the society.
Also principles and concepts as well as the type of
taxation and its incidence will be the examined. The economic effects and tax
system will be enumerated. Also the formula for, some computation limitation
were faced during the course of carrying out this research work. Some of
limitation includes:
Time factor
Financial constraint
Limited access to related literature and limited responses
from relevant authorities.
1. Tax: Tax is a levy imposed by the government against
income, profit or wealth of the individual partnership and corporate
organization.
2. Public servants: Public servants are persons employed in
the public sector of the economy. He may be a civil servants or a worker in any
government firms or parastatal.
3. PAYE (PAY AS YOU EARN): It is a system whereby the
employers deduct tax every month from their employees’ salaries and wages at
the time of payment on behalf of the Revenue Authorities.
4. Tax Evasion: It refers to an illegal attempt to reduce the
tax liabilities of an individual or an organization.
5. Statutory Income: This is a person’s total income from any
or many sources.
6. Assessable Income: Is the total statutory income of the
tax payer less allowances made in respect of certain annual charges.
7. Taxable Income: Is assessable income less the dependent
relations, wife and children.
8. Earned Income: This includes remuneration from office or
employment.
9. Unearned Income: Includes income obtained without personal
service or effort. E.g. Dividend from investment.
10.
Chargeable Income: Is the
total income from all sources before deducting all non-taxable income.
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