***MATAN to bring informal sector into FG tax
The emergence of Market Traders Association of Nigeria (MATAN) which is the umbrella body for all trading associations is an answered prayer for all those who have been shortchanged by government officials in the distribution of parliatives and intervention funds, its National President honorable Jamilu Abbas has declared.
Speaking at its National Executive Council Meeting held in Abuja recently, he said MATAN is a trailblazing association that holds the magic wand to resolve most of the issues bedeviling the country as a result of the greed of some leaders.
He recalled the action of some Governors and political office holders during the COVID19 pandemic when palliatives meant to be distributed to the poorest of the poor were hoarded and kept away from them by some governors, lawmakers, local Government chairmen and so on.
According to him, they in the informal sector have decided to channel their own energy to forming the MATAN,
“That is why we decide to float a project, leading to the launch of the Integrated Market Revenue Management System (IMRMS).
He said MATAN is in Partnership with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to collect and remit Value Added Tax (VAT) from traders in marketplace, using the IMRMS platform.
According to him, the collaboration; known as the VAT Direct Initiative (VDI), is part of a push to widen the government’s tax base.
To that end he said, the FIRS has rolled out the implementation of the IMRMS, a purpose-built digital platform, to capture the informal sector, especially market traders in to the federal government’s tax net.
He said MATAN is the largest player in Nigeria’s market space with a membership of well over 40 million traders across the country.
“Under the arrangement, MATAN is expected to digitally enumerate its members, give them a digital identity and track their turnover so that VAT accrued is collected and remitted to the FIRS.
“Through this initiative, the FIRS will help tackle multiple taxation in the marketplace through partnership with security agencies to curb the activities of touts, miscreants and self-imposed tax collectors involved in illegal tax collection in Nigeria’s market spaces. ”
He said the solution is, MATAN is providing a platform that will go digital to bring all in the informal sector to become formal.
According to him, With the ongoing enumeration, each member will have his multi purpose Identity Cards which is called VDIIT
“So with the card, our agents will enumerate you as a trader, farmer, transporter or Artizan. We have analyzed it, the small Scale, the Medium Scale and the larger scale.
“Even if you are exempted from paying tax to government, you are not exempted from benefiting from services such as insurance, PENCOM, because when you fall ill, you will go to the hospital, when you have cases in your market places, the Lawyer is there to support you free of charge.
He said with the card, they are in partnership with government so if government wants to give palliative they don’t need to go through some one who will corner them for his personal use. They don’t need to go through any criminal or any offices.
He said President Tinubu is well informed of the Association because after enumeration, this is the only platform which the President will authorise for all banks to send government intervention funds to without passing through any criminal that has opportunity to occupy government position.
“Immediately we provided this platform, the State Governments, the joint tax board, invited us and we promised them that we are going to be paying their taxes, we are bringing our people to the tax net, so that if it is N1, on 10k, they will be contributing to government coffers.
“But when we make this contribution government must pay us back, the pay back is the tax relief, if I have children who want to go to school, through this card they can access free education.