The House of Representatives on Wednesday mandated its Committee on Governmental Affairs to investigate the activities of licensed lottery operators from 2000 to date with a view to ensuring that tax defaulters among them are made to pay promptly.
This followed the adoption of a motion by Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas, who noted that out of the 21 licensed lottery operators in the country, only two or three have successfully paid their dues and other taxes to the Federal Government over the last few years.
He said: “All over the world, tax evasion is deemed a very serious offence as most advanced countries sustain their economies through effective and transparent taxation system where operators of businesses pay their taxes promptly.
“The Nigerian Lottery Commission can become one of the revenue generating agencies if the operators of lottery are made to pay taxes to the government as and when due, as the government needs the money to execute various projects rather than borrowing to fund the annual budget.
“These lottery operators have been defaulting in payments of all their fees to the Commission for more than 10 years now, including the nature and type of games being played, the list of winners and total amount generated.
“For emphasis, the Acting Director General of the Commission even stated that since his assumption of office about four months ago, the operators have not been meeting their obligations.”
When the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, called for a voice vote, the motion was supported by majority of members of the House.
The investigating committee is expected to report back to the House within six weeks for further legislative action.
