The Lagos State Government has responded to claims by popular TikToker Habeeb Hamzat, also known as Peller, who said the state slammed him with a N36 million tax bill.
Peller, a 20-year-old content creator, had last week gone viral after lamenting in a livestream with singer Peruzzi that the government was demanding more than he could afford.
“The task force said I should pay N36m in tax. I swear to Almighty Allah, I don’t have anything. I only came into the limelight last year. Are you, Peruzzi, even paying tax, and how much is it? Why should I pay N36m? What does that even mean? Why will the government take money from me when it has never given me anything, not even TikTok support, let alone help from a task force member?” he lamented.
Reacting on Tuesday, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Tax and Revenue, Abdulkabir Ogungbo, said that though he had yet to receive full details of Peller’s case, anyone making money in Lagos was expected to pay tax.
“I need to take a look at this particular context in question. But generally, the LIRS is an autonomous body saddled with the responsibility of assessing and giving the best judgment on behalf of the government,” Ogungbo said in an interview.
He added, “Within the context of personal income, anybody who is legitimately earning, Section 24 of the Nigerian Constitution stipulates that when you earn your living and income legitimately, you are meant to declare that honestly to the authorities. So the context around the size, the quantum and what have you, needs to be properly investigated and we can revert.”
When asked about tax responsibilities for online creators, Ogungbo explained that reforms were already in place to cover digital earnings.
“From the context of personal income tax, irrespective of how you earn it, you’re meant to pay tax. So if you stay here, we assume that you use the infrastructure and earn here. You can be here and be having online business, so for that reason, if you earn honestly here, and there is no proof that you pay the same tax to another jurisdiction, you have to remit your tax to the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service,” he said.
Ogungbo noted that he would investigate Peller’s situation but stressed that the LIRS remained the only authority empowered to assess tax obligations in the state.
The LIRS has yet to comment officially on the matter. Its Head of Corporate Communications, Monsurat Amasa, did not respond to calls and text messages sent by our correspondent on Monday and Tuesday.
