Pay Your Tax If You’re Earning Legit – Lagos Govt Fires Back at TikToker Peller
The Lagos State Government has responded to a popular TikToker, Habeeb Hamzat, also known as Peller, after he complained about receiving a huge tax bill.
Peller, who is just 20 years old, said during a live chat with singer Peruzzi that he was shocked to get a ₦36 million tax notice from the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS). He said he only became famous last year and doesn’t understand why he’s being asked to pay such a big amount.
Reacting to this, Abdulkabir Ogungbo, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Tax and Revenue, explained that anyone making money legally in Lagos must pay tax. He said it doesn’t matter if you make money online or offline — if you live in Lagos and earn income, you must pay your part.
He added that the LIRS is the agency that handles taxes and they work on their own, making decisions for the government. Even though he hasn’t yet checked Peller’s case personally, Ogungbo said the law is very clear: if you make money, you must tell the government how much and pay tax on it — unless you’re already paying tax in another state.
He also mentioned that the state now collects tax from people who earn through online content, digital assets, and virtual businesses.
In his words:
“Anybody who earns money legally should pay tax. That’s what the Nigerian Constitution says. We will look into this Peller case more closely, but the rule applies to everyone.”
So in short, if you’re living in Lagos and making money — even from social media — the government expects you to pay tax.
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