CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Taxes, and tax systems, are fundamental components of government revenue generation. Brautigam (2008) noted that taxes underwrite the capacity of states to carry out their goals. They form one of the central arenas for the conduct of state-society relations, and they shape the balance between accumulation and redistribution that gives states their social character. Thus, taxes build capacity to provide security, meet basic needs or foster economic development and they build legitimacy and consent, helping to create consensual, accountable and representative government.
A key component of any tax system is the manner in which it is administered (Naiyeju, 2010). Bahi and Bird (2008) states that no tax is better than its administration, so tax administration matters a lot, and an essential objective of tax administration is to ensure the maximum possible compliance by taxpayers of all types with their taxation obligations. Unfortunately, in many countries, tax administration is usually weak and characterized by extensive evasion, corruption and coercion.
In many cases overall tax levels are low, and large sectors of the informal economy escape the tax net entirely (Brautigani, Fjelftand and Moore, 2008).
A nation’s tax system is often a reflection of its communal values and the values of those in power (Ross, 2007). Thus, to create a system of taxation, a nation must make choices regarding the distribution of the tax burden and how the taxes collected will be spent. In democratic nations where the public elects those in charge of establishing the tax system like Nigeria, these choices reflect the type of community that the public or government wish to create. Parkin (2006) states that in countries where the public does not have a significant amount of influence over the system of taxation, that system may be more of a reflection on the values of those in power as governments use different kinds of taxes and vary the tax rates. This is done to distribute the tax burden among individuals or classes of the population involved in taxable activities, such as businesses, or to redistribute resources between individuals or classes in the population.
Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) is a 10 (ten) digit number that is unique to each taxpayer in Nigeria, for every individual and corporate organization i.e. taxable entities that earn a steady income. The Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) is a platform which will harmonize taxpayer identification and registration in Nigeria; it will create closer linkage between the various tax authorities in Nigeria and, will aid corporation, information sharing and increase revenue generation accruing to all tiers of the governments (JTB Bulletin, 2011).