Nduka Chiejina, (Asst. Editor), Abuja
DESPITE failing to meet its January tax target, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) says it expects nothing short of 100 per cent target delivery from its tax operations.
Its Chairman, Mohammed Nami, gave the directive in Abuja at the retreat of the Tax Operations Group of the FIRS.
Nami said many measures had been put in place to make the group achieve the N8.5trillion target government demands of the Service.
According to Nami, “the 2019 promotion exercise earlier suspended will soon hold with a reviewed set of criteria seen as more friendly, and designed to make as many staff as possible advance to the next level.”
The FIRS chief also said: “Vacancy positions have also been expanded. Soon after the 2019 exercise, that of the year 2020 will also hold.”
To bring FIRS closer to its customers and create more opportunities for growth and career progression, Nami stated that he has broken up “some of offices where there are potentials.”
So far, he has created six more offices with another seven about to be unveilled.
The concluded ones, he disclosed, are One Medium Tax Office (MTO) in Kaduna; One Large Tax Office (LTO) in Lagos West and four new Medium and Small Tax Offices (MSTOs) in Lagos, at Victoria Island II, Ikoyi ll, Ajah II and Alen Avenue office from the Ikeja MSTOs.
Read Also: I tested positive for COVID-19 – FIRS staff
Those to come on board soon consist of three new MSTOs in Abuja from the present Wuse, Utako and Asokoro MSTOs and four additional MSTOs to be carved out of the Port-Harcourt and Rumoukurushi MSTOs.
To help the tax operations group achieve the target, Nami disclosed that the management of FIRS has introduced new initiatives including rejigging of the audit and investigation function so that the sector is expected to deliver nothing less than 20 per cent from respective office targets.
FIRS management has also introduced Automation of Tax Collection, geared towards automating tax collection in many sectors of the economy.
“The roll out of these is very imminent, even though there have been all forms of resistance but we were able to wade through,” Nami said.
In addition, enforcement function has also been redefined in terms of mode of operation for better performance. Also, the “management is working on closing the gaps noticed in the area of necessary tools and facilities for effective performance. Plans have gone far to procure vehicles, computers and furniture, among others,” he added.
Responding, the Domestic Tax Operation Group (DTOG) of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) assured the management and board of the Service that it will work to “enable the Service to achieve its N8.5trillion revenue target”.
The TOG agreed that with the new management’s determination to empower and motivate the staff, the target would not only be achieved but will be surpassed.
The group also observed that “tax evasion practices in Nigeria is worrisome”, stressing that “there is an urgent need to intensify enforcement action to stem the situation”.
It said the Service will keep track of all taxable entities’ compliance “behavior” and “compliance with the use of “compliance programmes”, especially by integrating FIRS’ e-solution platforms with “the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) and integrating Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) with Bank Verification Number (BVN).”
The Service was admonished to intensify efforts towards completing the various ICT intervention, including the ongoing VAT automation as well as the need to build a centralised taxpayer database to ease access to information.”
Leave a Reply