CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Many businesses in Nigeria can tell you horror stories of multiple taxation. The “agents” that come to collect random taxes you’ve never heard of. The frustration of dealing with many different faces of the tax law. The sheer amount of tax you have to pay. This is a major hindrance to running a business smoothly in Nigeria. In recent time the world economy has developed tremendously and this has been linked with activities of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs), especially in developing countries. A Study carried out by the Federal Office of Statistics shows that in Nigeria, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises make up 97% of productive units of the economy (Ariyo, 2005). Although smaller in size, they are the most important enterprises in the economy due to the fact that when all the individual effects are aggregated, they surpass that of the larger companies, the social and economic advantages of small and medium scale enterprises cannot be overstated.
Panitchparkdi (2006) sees SMEs as a source of employment, competition, economic dynamism, and innovation which stimulates the entrepreneurial spirit and the diffusion of skills. Because they enjoy a wider geographical presence than big companies, SMEs also contribute to better income distribution. Over the years, small and medium scale enterprises have been an avenue for job creation and the empowerment of Nigeria’s citizens providing about 50% of all jobs in Nigeria and also for local capital formation. Being highly innovative, they lead to the utilization of our natural resources which in turn translates to increasing the country’s wealth through higher productivity. Small and medium scale enterprises have undoubtedly improved the standard of living of so many people especially those in the rural areas (Ariyo, 2005). Multiple taxation on the other hand, is the imposition of different types of taxes that could have come under one major tax form on the people by the government.’ At times some of the taxes are christened levies. However, within the context of this work, all compulsory payment made by individuals and institutions to the government are regarded as tax.
A good tax possesses the following qualities: fairness, convenience, simplicity, and minimum cost of collection and minimum distortions. Musgrave (1980) noted that taxes should be chosen so as to minimize interference with economic decisions in otherwise efficient markets. However, the mortality rate of these small firms is very high. According to the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), 80% of SMEs die before their 5th anniversary. Among the factors responsible for these untimely close-ups are tax related issues, ranging from multiple taxations to enormous tax burdens among other issues etc. In many government policies, small and medium scale enterprises are usually viewed and treated in the same light as large corporations. However, their size and nature make them unique, though, taxation can contribute to development and welfare through three sources; It must be able to generate sufficient funds for financing public services and social transfers at a high level of quality, it should offer incentive for more employment and for an efficient and lasting use of natural resources, finally it should be able to reallocate income. But in the case of SMEs, tax must be imposed in such a way that puts their income and need for survival into consideration. It is expedient that enough profit is allowed them for the purpose of expanding their businesses. The tax policy must be one that will not encourage SMEs to remain in the informal sector or to evade or avoid tax payments.
Operators of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have at one time or another lamented the indiscriminate imposition of taxes by the three tiers of government and other agencies. The Federal Government on the other hand, has promised to tackle the issue without success so far, thereby forcing many SME outfits to close shops, yet it is no gainsaying that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) remain the engine of growth of many developed countries, as they offer about 70 to 80 percent of employments to the youths of such climes.In Japan, United States of America, China, Germany and many other countries, SMEs offer the highest percentage of employment to the working class. In Nigeria, most SME outfits are finding it difficult to survive, due to the many challenges they grapple with.While many developed countries exempt their SMEs outfits from payment of taxes, the reverse is the case in Nigeria, where they face multiple taxation from the various tiers of the government agencies and even street urchins known in the local parlance as “area boys”.