No Plan To Tax Churches, RSG Insists

The Rivers State Internal Revenue Service (RIRS) has debunked claims in some quarters that the state government was planning to tax churches.
The Chairman of RIRS, Adoage Norteh, who disclosed this during a media parley in Port Harcourt, the state capital, clarified that government had never contemplated collecting tax from churches.
Norteh stated that the Rivers State Government was concerned about the state of the national economy, and in its tax policies, it has decided to reduce the tax burden.
He, however, explained that church workers, who earn monthly salaries from various churches, should pay income tax, saying such view did not amount to asking churches to pay tax.
The RIRS boss further explained that churches and mosques were not expected to pay tax, since they were recognized as religious organizations and not profit-making bodies by the law establishing them.
According to Norteh, “There are claims in some quarters that Rivers State Government wants to tax churches. Such claims are erroneous. The Rivers State Government is concerned about the state of our national economy, and in its tax policies, it has decided to reduce the tax burden.
“The state government is also concerned about the burden of individuals. On Tuesday (last week), I met with the executives of the state Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on this subject.
“We are aware that churches, by the law setting them up, are not for profit and to that extent, they are not to be taxed. So, nobody is going to ask the church to be taxed.
“All I said was that church workers, who earn income, are like other workers anywhere should pay tax,” he said, maintaining that the payment of tax had nothing to do with politics or religion.

Dennis Naku