Osun State Bureau of Statistics has released figures of tax defaulters.
The Statistician-General, Prof. Wasiu Alagbe Gbolagade, said in a statement that measures must be taken to address the “lackadaisical attitude of our people in the payment of tax to the government.”
He said the database for record of tertiary and non-government health institutions showed that the number of registered private health institutions was 586.
Gbolagade said: “Of this figure, the population of those paying tax regularly is 60. Those not paying tax are 526.
“In the case of registered private pharmacy premises, the total number of registered premises is 87 as at March 20. Seventy seven are not paying tax. Only 10 are paying when due.
“The record of registered patent and proprietary medicine vendors shows that the number registered with the government is 692 and none is paying.
“The number of registered beer parlours with the government is 172 and none is paying tax. Larger percentages of beer parlours have not registered with the government. Precisely, seven out of 30 registered.
“The registered number of eateries in Osogbo, the state capital, is nine and those responding to tax are seven. Two are not complying.
“The number of registered hotels is 381. Only 18 are paying tax.
“The number of registered water establishment is 477, out of which 470 are paying taxes. Seven are not paying. The number of registered petrol stations with the government is 723. Six hundred and seventy-one are not paying tax to the government. Only 52 are responding positively.
“Two thousand, four hundred and fifty cooperatives are registered. All of them are not paying tax because they claim they are non-profit organisations.”