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Tag: Joint Tax Board

  • Tax Reform: JTB transitions to JRB ahead of 2026 tax regime

    Tax Reform: JTB transitions to JRB ahead of 2026 tax regime

    The Joint Tax Board (JTB) has unveiled a new brand identity, signalling its transition to the Joint Revenue Board (JRB) ahead of the commencement of new tax administration laws on January 1, 2026.

    The transformation follows the enactment of the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Act 2025, which President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed into law on June 26, 2025. 

    The unveiling took place during the Board’s 158th meeting which held on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja.

    Addressing members at the event, the Chairman of the Board, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, described the new logo and brand elements as powerful expressions of the institution’s evolution and future direction. 

    “The new brand identity represents renewal, transformation, and our collective commitment to excellence in revenue administration. It reflects what the JRB stands for and will guide our activities and operations in the emerging dispensation,” he said.

    Adedeji explained that the transition from JTB to JRB marks a major step toward building a more unified and efficient national revenue administration structure. 

    He said the reform is designed to deepen collaboration across federal and state revenue authorities, enhance information sharing, and strengthen tax compliance across the country.

    He called on member states and relevant institutions to align fully with the new framework and complete all necessary adjustments to ensure a smooth take-off of the new tax Acts on January 1, 2026. According to him, the success of the new regime depends on “full cooperation and readiness across all jurisdictions.”

    Reflecting on the meeting’s theme, “Managing Transition: Driving Transformation, Building the Future of Tax Administration in Nigeria,” Adedeji stressed the importance of continuous capacity development and sustained investment in modern infrastructure. He said such efforts, combined with stronger cooperation among all tiers of government, would help position Nigeria’s tax system for long-term efficiency.

    The Executive Secretary of the Board, Mr. Olusegun Adesokan who also changed his title from Secretary to Executive Secretary at the event addressed participants, stating that the transition to the JRB signals the beginning of a more inclusive revenue environment. “With the transition, the JRB will create a revenue-friendly environment that works for everyone,” he said.

    Adesokan disclosed that the JRB is already working closely with revenue authorities across the country to harmonise taxpayers’ data and build a unified national database under the Tax ID project. He explained that the Tax ID will be issued to individuals and corporates using foundational identifiers such as the National Identification Number (NIN) and company registration numbers.

    He added that the JRB would go further in coordinating taxes, levies, and rates nationwide. According to him, chairmen of internal revenue services who sit on the Board are already leading efforts to domesticate uniform Taxes and Levies Act across their respective states, with the aim of reducing inconsistencies and strengthening compliance.

    The meeting also featured presentations from various committees of the Board and progress briefings on reform initiatives being implemented across the federation as the JRB prepares for full operation in the 2026 fiscal year.

  • ‘New tax registration good for taxpayers’

    Mr. Babatunde Fowler, Chairman, Joint Tax Board (JTB) and Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), explains how the new tax identification number registration system, scheduled for launch on Monday, will bring convenience to the taxpayer, boost tax compliance and revenue collection. He spoke with Bayo Anibaba

    There is a plan by the Joint Tax Board (JTB), which you chair, to introduce a new a New Tax Identification Number (TIN) Registration system. What is this about?

    We call it a new TIN Registration process and will be launched by the Vice President on 1 July. Before now, we have had people undergoing training on how to utilise this. And what this system basically does is to take information already in our system plus what we have in our national tax database. So once it is launched, we have to run it and have it come on the national database for the whole nation, both for companies and individuals. What this implies is that if you have a tax clearance in Kano State, for example, and you are coming to Lagos for transaction, instead of the man in Lagos confirming your tax clearance documents that you brought from Kano, he only needs to click the button and everything shows live. That is what the system does.

    The system brings innovation, convenience and transparency to tax authorities and taxpayers by enabling tax authorities efficiently manage their taxpayer base, while enabling taxpayers to view, retrieve and update their tax profiles at the comfort of their homes or offices.

    The new JTB TIN will be universal throughout the country and can be used by taxpayers to pay for any tax type. This reduces the burden of having to register for multiple TIN numbers from different tax authorities and states, as it leverages on the biometrics we’ve got on BVN, from tax agencies, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and National Identity Management Commission (NIMC). So it brings in all onto a common platform. It also notifies taxpayer through a robust and secure system-to-system integration.

    What are the benefits to tax authorities?

    Clearly, the benefit would be convenience and transparency. If you are resident in one state and you go to transact business in another state, say, quote for a contract, it is in the law that part of the criteria is to have a tax clearance certificate. Immediately, an officer in the ministry will check if the individual name or your company name and your tax data are clearly are available. On the other side, if you have underpaid, like you paid a N100, 000 in Ogun State and you want to buy a property in Lagos for N10 million, the man clicks the button and asks how you can afford a N10 million property in Lagos based on the income on which you paid a tax of N100,000. So basically, it is a situation that is open and provides the taxpayer and the tax administrator with the same knowledge.

    So, it is not a matter of you trying to tell the tax official I pay adequate tax or for the tax official to demand inducement for tax clearance.

    How much trust can the taxpayer have in this new system and does it completely remove the need to physically visit tax offices?

    You don’t have to because we do all these things online. Now when you talk about trust, basically what the system does is to keep all your tax payments. And that currently operates in Lagos, which is one of the few states where it operates. Any payment in Lagos State, for example, over the last five years or six years, is available at the click of a button. This is what we have done with this new system.

    So even for some states that do not have the capacity of the financial muscle to do it, we have put it all together in one place. So, once you key into that system, you have the same benefit as the taxpayer.

    What are the features of the new registration process?

    Let me say this about the features: You have a common platform where all taxpayers’ information resides, which is made available to all tax administrators across the country. It also being made available to government agencies where you have to transact business. So, those are the main features and basically that is what it is there for and at the same time. Another added benefit is that it will certainly improve revenue generation. The new system is able to generate TIN automatically for newly registered cooperate taxpayers from CAC, verify TIN details and print TIN certificate, using the TIN Verification Portal, allows tax officials and taxpayers to initiate TIN registration from the comfort of their homes/offices and at their convenience and allows download via TIN mobile application available on Google Play Store and IOS.

    In addition, the system is available 24/7 system all year round, has ability to retrieve TIN via the use of the JTB USSD, helps resolve taxpayer issues faster by leveraging the robust helpdesk functionality and can find nearest tax office to the taxpayer, using the functionality provided in the TIN mobile application.

    What are the reasons for the adoption of this new registration process?

    Well, the old system didn’t have any of these benefits.

    Is the new system for the FIRS or also for states?

    Basically, it was founded through the Joint Tax Board, so it belongs to the federal and the state agencies, and we are going to make it available at no cost to other government agencies because to have an effective tax administration system, it should be available and very convenient to both the taxpayer and others who require it. So, where you have a situation such as land allocation, one of the conditions is a tax certificate.

    So we’ll make it available to government, to land registry and use it to confirm your land status. Even for politicians, they require tax certificate and INEC will have access to it and immediately they will know whether the person who is running for office is tax compliant or not.

    What is the next phase of this new tax identification number (TIN) registration process?

    The next phase is the deployment across the federation. And to give it to all government agencies that require it and of course, this information will be kept in strict confidence and will be used for the purpose for which it has been made available. And for taxpayers, it is another very convenient way to carry out business where a tax clearance certificate is required.

  • ‘The secret of my youthful look’

    Chief Oseni Elamah is a man of many parts. He is the Executive Secretary of the Joint Tax Board (JTB), the Okaoivbiore of Benin Kingdom, the Gimba of Auchi Kingdom, a Knight of the Order of Saint Mulumba in the Catholic Church and a member of the Nigerian Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies. Until his present appointment as the Executive Secretary of the JTB, he was the Executive Chairman of the Edo State Revenue Service. He turns 60 on Sunday (March 24). As part of activities to mark the occasion, he fielded questions from a group of reporters. Excerpts: 

    Q: Sir, yours has undoubtedly been a remarkable life, rising from very humble beginnings in Auchi in Edo State to becoming a successful accountant with name-recognition at the national level. Can you please share some of the memorable milestones with us and the values that propelled you to success?

     

    A:Thank you very much. I think first and foremost, I’ll like to give gratitude to God Almighty for his grace upon my life, for being born into this Earth. I also pay special appreciation to my dear parents, my father Alhaji Nasiru Dodo Elamah and my mother Alhaja Salamatu Mary Elamah.

    I was born in Auchi, born a twin with a twin sister and I started my primary school at a very early age.  I had previously had an interest in reading Architecture. I had in fact gotten admission to the University of Nigeria Nsukka, but my Uncle, Chief P. S. Salawe, was more interested in me reading Accountancy. He wanted me to toe his own career path, being the Auditor General. I think he was also instrumental to my being able to secure an in-service training from the Bendel State Government when I got admission to Auchi Polytechnic to read Accountancy. On that basis, I spent about two months in Nsukka before I had to come back because I now had an in-service training to read Accountancy, so I proceeded to Auchi Polytechnic.

    On completion of my Diploma Course in Accountancy in Auchi, since I was on in-service training, whenever I was on holidays, I came back to work. But on completion, I now decided to take a step further by undertaking the professional exam to qualify me as a Chartered Accountant.

    In 1998, during the administration of General Abdusalami Abubabakar, I was with the pioneer Group Managing Director of NNPC Chief Aret Adams, who was a mentor to me, when he was called to take up the position of the Special Adviser on Petroleum to the Head of State and he requested that I go with him to Abuja. On getting to Abuja, I was then appointed a Senior Special Assistant to the Head of State on Petroleum under the Office of the Special Adviser on Petroleum. So, I worked closely with the late Chief Aret Adams in the Petroleum Ministry until the transition to civilian rule ushered in the Olusegun Obasanjo administration in 1999.

    I then went back to Lagos and with my friend, Femi Osunde who was then working with Captain Hosa Okunbor in a comapny called Hoselyn Oil and Gas and with my assistance we were able to secure a $12million contract to build the Oredo flowstation facility in Benin, and I was then made the Executive Director in charge of Business Development. It was from there that the late Chief Aret Adams requested that I should join him at Multinational Expertise, and I was asked to develop a new business line. In doing that, we had a joint venture relationship with an international oil field supplying Company, Craig Energy Services based in Aberdeen Scotland and with that we formed the company called Multinational Craig Energy Services and I was appointed the pioneer Managing Director and Chief Executive.

    In 2002, we moved to expand the capital base of Multinational Craig Energy Services, and we had just finished a Board Meeting before proceeding on a family vacation with my family to the United States. But about two weeks before I travelled, I had gone to Abuja on the instruction of the late Chief Aret Adams to submit a proposal to the then National Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) where Comrade Adams Oshiomhole was the Chairman and also the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President.

    The proposal was on how to assist the NSITF to better grow its membership contribution so that they could deliver more services to workers. I went on that mission and on getting to submit the proposal, I met with the Managing Director of NSITF, Alhaji Abba Aji, and the then General Manager, Finance and Investment, Ahmed Rufai, who later became the Managing Director. By the time we finished the meeting, I then met with Comrade Adams Oshiomhole who noted that the proposal looked so convincing but that the only challenge was that the company may not have the people to translate the proposal into reality. He then asked if I would want to come on board and take up an Executive position. I told him there and then that I was not in a position to give him an answer but instead he should speak to my mentor who sent me.

    He put a call through to Chief Aret Adams who told him they would meet on his next visit. I went back to Lagos to honour a meeting and after the meeting, Chief Aret Adams personally dropped me off at the Airport from where I proceeded on my scheduled vacation with my family. But, just the next week after I got to New Jersey, I got this call, a very sad news, to the effect that Chief Aret Adams, on his way back from Port Harcourt where he had gone to flag off a community Trust Fund for the first indigenous Marginal Field Development Company, the Niger Delta Development Resources, had a stroke aboard the Aero flight from Port Harcourt and he was taken to the hospital. Unfortunately, by the next morning, he had transited. This devastating incident was one of the saddest moments of my life, and till date, when I recall the good memories of Chief Aret Adams who had mentored me to what I have become today, I am moved to tears with grief.

    I cut short my trip, my family vacation, left my family and took the next available flight I could find through Paris back to Nigeria. When I got to Nigeria, by the time they did the burial, it was then that Comrade Oshiomhole informed me that the late Chief Aret Adams after the meeting they had, had given his go ahead that I should proceed to join the NSITF.

    I was there till 2007 when Adams Oshiomhole ran for the Governorship of Edo state. Immediately he recovered the mandate, I was the first to be appointed under the Edo State Government of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to head the Assets Verification Committee which was charged with the responsibility of ascertaining the assets and liabilities of Edo State as at when he took over, and also to help chart a way for the new government that was coming into place to ensure that there was value for money for Government money spent. This was to ensure that there is transparency and accountability in all Government transactions. At the end of that exercise, I was appointed a Special Adviser on Fiscal Governance and Project Monitoring. I was there till July 2011 when I was made to take up the position of the Chairman of the Edo State Revenue Board. That was where we started the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) reforms, where we put together the Legal Framework that was eventually passed by the Edo State House of Assembly and signed into Law, giving birth to the Edo State Internal Revenue Service and I became the pioneer Executive Chairman of the Service.

     

    Q: Wow, that has been a most eventful and interesting journey; and it is memorable and inspiring. On that note, I like to ask how does it feel to be 60?

     

    A: Well, I think honestly, I don’t feel anything different now. Sometimes when I look at some of my pictures. I just see 60 as just a number. I feel it is just looking at the fact that there’s still a to be done. I just see it as a very short period given all that I’ve narrated. I believe that God has given me a special calling and endowed me so much with good health and some unique talents that I believe he wants me to use in being a blessing to my fellow human beings and also impacting the society.

    And I believe that as one attains this age, I want to try as much as possible to give back to society from the blessings that I’ve received myself from God.

     

    Q: At 60, do you have any regrets? Or in other words, given another opportunity, what would you have done differently?

     

    A: I think at 60, it’s a lot of gratitude and thanksgiving to God. What experience or what I’ve gone through in life is something that has already been ordained by God and I have found no regrets whatsoever. If I were to live my life again, I believe that the way I live it will equally be in the hands of God. So, like they say, we human beings are just like pencil in the hands of God. He will use us as he has so destined to. The only thing that is left is for us to be very prayerful so as to be able to access that which God has destined for us. So, I have no regrets but instead I have so much of gratitude and so much of appreciation and so much of thanksgiving.

     

      Q: Sir, your youthful and athletic look belies your age of 60. Can you please share with us the secret of your youthful look?

     

     A: I think the secret of my youthful looks is a key that is in the hands of God and to be able to get access to that key you need a lot of prayers. So, first of all I am very prayerful to God. I start everyday with prayers and thereafter I also am addicted to working out, engaging in early morning exercise and getting fit. I go to the gymnasium. I have a very regimented routine. When I finish doing that, I do my morning preparation, take my bath, get ready for work.

    Because of the way I work outside the home with my family, I am not used to having breakfast at home. I go with my breakfast pack to the office and my breakfast is just basically oatmeal, fruits and vegetable, juice and that may just be what I need for the whole day or until I close from work.

    But I think what is basically responsible for my youthful looks apart from the blessings that God has given me through my parents is that I also maintain  very disciplined eating habits and disciplined lifestyle. Normally what happens is that there are certain things that I will ordinarily not be interested in eating, but over and above that, it is a blessing from God to be of good health.

     

       Q: Sir, you are credited as spearheading the bold reforms that catapulted IGR from a mere N300m a month to close to N2b in Edo State within a relatively short time as the chairman of the State Internal Revenue Service. How did you do it?

     

    A:Well, thank you very much. You call it a feat, but I think it is something that you should plan and work for. Whatever you achieve is what has been envisioned, so one was very clear as to the vision that one wanted to attain in going to the Edo State Internal Revenue Service.

    Having had the opportunity of serving as the Chairman of the Assets Verification Committee and also as the Special Adviser on Fiscal Governance and Project Monitoring under Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, it was very clear that I wanted to demonstrate that it was possible to make Edo State work for the citizens of the State and to add value to their lives. Therefore, the government needed all the resources it could muster to execute so many of the laudable social and infrastructural programmes.

    Starting from one’s experience in the previous assignment that one had had both in the private and public sectors, I believe that it was those experiences and given the enabling environment that was provided by the Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and the confidence and trust that he had in me as a person, enabled me. Furthermore, working closely with young men and women who were fired to building a career for themselves and making their own little contribution towards the development of Edo State, we were able to achieve the results we achieved.

    I believe that there is still a whole lot more that Edo State Internal Revenue Service is going to attain given the crop of committed and dedicated workforce that we were able to put in place that are leveraging on Information Communications Technology in delivering quality service not just to the Edo State Government, but to taxpayers and to other major stakeholders in Nigeria.

     

     Q: That leads us to the next question. You are currently the Executive Secretary of the Joint Tax Board (JTB) which encompasses amongst others, all the revenue authorities in the Federation including the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the various State Revenue Authorities, including the FCT Internal Revenue Service. What lessons do you think can be borrowed by these revenue authorities to deepen the tax net?

     

       A: I think it is actually a rare privilege to collaborate and support one of those that I will call the prime movers and the pioneers at carrying out major reforms in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of various Governments. The current Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Babatunde Fowler, who also doubles as the Chairman of the Joint Tax Board (JTB) was the pioneer Executive Chairman of the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) where the IGR reforms were midwifed by the then Executive Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and he was at the forefront of carrying out those reforms.

    I think currently, Mr. Babatunde Fowler has demonstrated exactly what he did In Lagos and is deepening those performance at the FIRS. For the first time the FIRS generated the highest revenue ever of about N5.3 trillion for the year 2018, and in the new year with further deepening of those reforms, it is targeted that the FIRS will be able to generate between N8-N10trillion in year 2019.

    What most people don’t really realize is that the money generated by the FIRS is for the entire Federation, both the Federal, State and Local Governments in the Federation Account. So, it is adding value to the various tiers of government in their revenue drive; and I think his chairmanship of the JTB often shows us that working in collaboration with him and from the various experiences that we have gathered I think we cannot have a better opportunity than now for us to be able to help ensure that the various revenue authorities do not need to re-invent the wheel, they just have to take off from the experiences we have, and using those recipe and with greater commitment and dedication, I think they can also generate revenue that are sustainable for the development of various States.

    The collaboration among the various revenue agencies and critical stakeholders initiated by Mr. Babatunde Fowler is geared towards having an inclusive tax revenue administration system in Nigeria anchored on treating the taxpayer as king.

     

    Q: That is just fantastic. Moving away, from revenue issues now, you were seen as enjoying a special relationship with the late revered monarch of the great Benin Kingdom, Omo N’Oba N’Edo, Oba Erediauwa, even though you hail from Auchi. He even made you the Okaoivbiore (Head of the Youths) of Benin Kingdom. What was the chemistry between you?

     

    A: I think I was just privileged. Like I said, whatever happens to me in life has already been destined by God, it’s just for you to be able to be get the key to it. With prayers you get the key to what has been so destined. My first major encounter with our father the then monarch of Benin Kingdom, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Oba Erediauwa, was when I was an audit clerk. He was then the Crown Prince of Benin Kingdom and also the Commissioner for Finance of then Bendel State, and I had the privilege of carrying out the cash audit at the Ministry of Finance under his office. That was the first time we met. There was an incident that did occur when he referred to me as “my auditor”.

    Many years later when I went in company of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole who was then contesting for governorship of Edo State, to the Palace and was being introduced, he recalled again to say “Is that not my young auditor?” I said I was the one, and he was wondering what I was doing in politics and I said I wasn’t actually in politics, that I only escorted a friend and brother to pay a visit to him at the Palace. Of course, he recalled that first encounter as an audit clerk when I had come to do a cash survey and I requested for proper retirement of a certain amount which His Royal Majesty (His Royal Highness then) had already passed on to his Secretary for retirement, but who instead kept the cash receipts in his drawer; and because I made the enquiry, he proceeded to report me to His Royal Highness. It turned out that what the Secretary had planned to use to intimidate and punish me became a blessing and elevated me, and I found favour in the sight of His Royal Highness.

    So, when Comrade Adams Oshiomhole now came on board, he watched severally my sessions as Chairman of the Assets Verification Committee and also as Special Adviser on Fiscal Governance and Project Monitoring while monitoring projects. On one of thoseoccasions, he sent for me and asked to find out what government was doing especially regarding the Airport Road when they said they were going to bring down the Palace Walls. I explained what we were doing. He was so impressed that there and then he requested that one of his daughter work with me so that she can get to learn some things and gain some experience, and she did. The way I was able to mentor her, I think His Royal Majesty was very pleased and asked that as a mark of appreciation they should offer me some traditional beads if I would accept. I said I would be so humbled to be given some traditional beads by His Royal Majesty, and when I went on a thank you visit, I told him how pleased I was and that I am ready to serve in any capacity as a way to support him.

    It was then that the issue of being given a chieftaincy title came about, and if you correctly recall, in Benin culture and tradition they don’t have honorary chieftaincy title they just throw about to people. It’s on record that chieftaincy titles in Benin are so documented that once a title is given, it’s not repeated anywhere unless the holder is no longer alive.

    For me coming from Edo North or Auchi didn’t really matter to His Royal Majesty because he had already taken me as one of his sons, and having lived in Benin over the years and my close relationship with some members of the royal family, he had no hesitation whatsoever and that is how I was conferred with the Okaoivbiore of Benin Kingdom by His Royal Majesty Omo N’Oba N’Edo Oba Erediauwa and the rest is history.

     

        Q:This relationship has also extended to the current Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba N’EdoUku Akpolokpolo Oba Ewuare II. Could you please enlighten us on your relationship with the present Oba Ewuare II?

     

       A:Thank you very much. I just mentioned that even as I was being given the title by Oba Erediauwa, I had been in close relationship with the Benin Royal family. I recall my first encounter with the current Oba was when he was a Crown Prince. I was assigned by my late mentor Chief Aret Adams to carry out a feasibility study towards the setting up of an independent petroleum marketing company, and that marketing company was actually for the Crown Prince. It was eventually established in Benin and since then we’ve been in close contact.

    Of course, when we came to Benin under the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole administration, His Royal Majesty was then serving as the Nigerian Ambassador in Rome and he had extended an invitation to me and my wife to visit him, and we did visit him; and each time he was in Nigeria, I went to see him.

     

    By Benin tradition, the Obaship is one. The Oba is not made, the Oba is born. So, from day one that the Crown Prince was born he was destined to be Oba. So, the transition from Oba Erediauwa to Oba Ewuare II goes along with all that is associated with the Benin throne. Therefore, the Chiefs that were appointed by Oba Erediauwa were automatically Chiefs of Oba Ewuare II. For me, since I’ve always been in close relationship and my determination and willingness to support the Palace, it is predicated on the fact that I have demonstrated a level of commitment, honesty and integrity in handling all assigned traditional duties and functions that has been given to me and that is what has endeared me to His Royal Majesty Oba Ewuare II who has zero tolerance for dishonesty and lies. Therefore, I think I am just in my natural habitat being with His Royal Majesty.

     

    Q: You are known to be a good family man. What is the secret of your happy marriage of about 27 years?

     

    A:The secret of our happy marriage is that we have made it into a tripod. That is my wife, myself and our creator, our God. We have found out that the more we draw closer to God the more we draw closer to ourselves.

    In this marriage for 27 years, I think I’ve mentioned it to my late mentor before he passed on, in all that I have been able to witness and achieve and experience, I think my wife has actually been the talisman.

    She is a source of happiness, she is a pillar of support, she is a bundle of joy to be with, she is selfless and above that, she is committed to serving God. In all situations, she’s been the one supporting myself and the family with prayers, she intercedes on our behalf always. She is not materialistic. She is a very natural person. She is just modest in her expectations and her material wants. Instead, she craves more for her spiritual wellbeing and that of the family. So, my wife is the secret. I always tell her that she’s my twin sister, so she’s the source of my happiness and the source of my success.

    She’s been involved in marriage counselling for couples coming up. In her position as the President of the CWO in our parish she takes time to do this and she lectures, and she counsels. Like I said, I can’t remember having a disagreement or quarrel with my wife going into the next day and not even a third party.

     

       Q:On a lighter note sir, how do you relax, how do you wind down? What relaxes you after all the stress and effort of work?

     

      A:Well, like they say, all work and no play make Jack a dull boy. Just as I like working hard, I also like to relax. Like I spend time in doing exercise, I play golf, I do a lot of reading, I listen to news. I also engage in mentoring. I relax with friends, once in a while if there is a party. But I don’t go to night clubs, but if somebody is celebrating, I join in celebrating at social events and I spend a lot of time with elderly ones. I take a lot of words of wisdom from them and then of course I take joy in empowering young men and women, gives me joy and satisfaction, those are the kind of things that make me relax.

    I also enjoy sharing good jokes and good times with my wife and children. We always have something to talk about, to laugh about. Each time I remember the jokes and good times we share, no matter how far away I am from home, a smile always come to my face. On a recent trip to New York with my wife, we were watching the television where they said for One dollar a man can marry a wife. It was such a funny episode and each time we remember it, we just laugh. And then my kids also are a source of joy and relaxation to us because of their endeavour and they have also imbibed the values that we have treasured over the years. These are what actually give me a lot of relaxation.

  • Oyo Govt nabs fake revenue collectors in Ibadan

    Two members of a fake tax collection syndicate were on Friday nabbed by the officials of the Oyo State Board of Internal Revenue in Ibadan, while carrying out their illegal operation around Agbarigo, Onireke Avenue, Ibadan, in the branded jacket of the Board.

    According to the identity cards caught on the suspects, the duo was tagged ‘revenue collector’ with one Joint Tax Board (JTB) consultant.

    The suspects were nabbed by the officials of the state board of internal revenue who were on a tax awareness, sensitization and collection tour of markets on payment of tax by traders and operators in the informal sector in the state.

    The OYBIR team was led by the Chairman of the Board, Mr Bicci Alli, the Director of Finance and Administration, Mr Akinwale Akinade, top officials of the Board and other revenue collectors who were on a tour of the Bodija, Apata and Idi-Iroko markets in the capital city.

    The suspects; Friday Emmanuel and Oyedeji Oyekunle, in an interview with journalists, disclosed that they are on an appointment with a staff in one of the local government council in Ibadan who pays them on a 50-50 remuneration basis of whatever amount they generate per day.

    They also professed their innocence that they were not on an illegal operation but on appointment as consultants to the board, as reflected in one of the suspect’s identity card. The identity card which bears the logo, name and image of the board further drew the attention of the Chairman, Oyo State board of internal revenue, Mr Bicci Alli to investigate the matter the more.

    To prove their innocence, the suspects were told to make phone call to their employer, whose name was simply given as ‘Mr Bayo’ who they claimed works at an undisclosed local government in Ibadan, but the efforts were unsuccessful as the said Mr Bayo initially failed to pick the calls but later told the suspect to come to the Ibadan North East LG.

    Read Also: Why I want to govern Oyo, by Adelabu

    However, other attempts to call the said Mr. Bayo for a confirmation of his location later saw his phone line not connecting as it was said to have been switched off. the suspects also said they had other tax collectors who operate in other parts of the city but that the two of them only knew each other as members of a team.

    The suspects said “We were employed around March/April 2018 to collect consolidated tax on behalf of the state by one Mr Bayo who we have been trying to put calls through to his line. Though we were not given any letter of appointment to that effect but we were told that we will get a letter from the Commissioner of Police. Up till now, we are yet to receive the letter.”

    On remuneration and how they operate, they said “We are on 50-50 agreement. That means we take 50 per cent of whatever amount we collect. The receipt is N5,000 but it’s negotiable. In case we’re unable to make up to that amount, we have to ensure that we deposit the N2,500 percentage per receipt of the receipt sold.”

    Thereafter, Mr Alli ordered officers of the board to hand over the suspects to the police for further investigation.

    Items found in their possession include copies receipts bearing logo and name of the Oyo State Board of Internal Revenue, copies of consolidated certificates for trucks, buses, pickups, cars, operational permit clearance certificate, road taxes certificates, driver and conductor’s badges, road user’s permit, stage carriage revenue with JTB packet of used and unused receipts, among others.

    While reacting to the situation, OYBIR Chairman, Mr Bicci Alli, said neither the state government nor the OYBIR had engaged any contractors, agents or consultant to collect revenue on its behalf by the roadside.

    He emphasised that the government did not send any agent to collect its revenue in whatever format, urging the people not to patronise such an agent or make any payment to them. He added that all roadside tax collection is illegal and as such must not be patronised.

    Alli urged the people of the state to desist from making any financial payment to any individual in the name of the state government, pointing out that revenue accruable to the state government are to be paid to designated banks.

    He, however, added that only trained revenue collectors for the informal are operating with a POS machine to collect revenue while all others for the formal and organised sectors are made to the designated banks.

  • ‘VAIDS will revolutionise tax collection in Nigeria’

    With two months left for the amnesty period of the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme to end, Executive Chairman of the Joint Tax Board (JTB) Mr. Oseni Elama spoke with some journalists on the prospects and benefits of the scheme to the states among other issues. Assistant Editor, Nduka Chiejina was there.

    What is the operational philosophy of VAIDS?

    The Voluntary Asset Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) was initiated by the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun. It’s a federal government project. As you know, it was formally launched by the then Acting President, (now the Vice President) Professor Yemi Osinbajo and this is in line with the various provisions in the tax laws. What it has only done is to ensure there is more inclusiveness in the tax administration and create ease of compliance by a lot of Nigerians. It’s also helped to sensitise people, to enlighten them so that they know their rights under the law and take full advantage of it. I think it’s something that is very laudable and effective which will help create a more tax-friendly environment.

    What kind of taxes are under VAIDS and what are the benefits to the states?

    All taxes, whether they are corporate or individual taxes. In fact, all taxes that are provided for under the law. As you are aware, you can’t raise taxes without the instrumentality of the law. Every tax you see is a creation of provisions of the law and what differs is who collects what. The Federal Inland Revenue Service collects taxes relating to education tax, technology development levy, etc. The States collect personal income tax, consumption tax. Local Government Areas also collect some form of taxes for birth registration, markets, and motor parks, etc.

    The specific benefits are that, it will enable all tiers of government to bring more people into the tax net, and ensure that all income that are subject to the tax are brought to the tax net and taxed and enhance revenue of the various tiers of government. Most importantly, it also creates a kind of social contract between the government and the citizens because if they tax your income, you are demonstrating that you are a responsible citizen and there are certain basic social benefits that you are expecting government to provide such as security, good roads, good healthcare and generally good governance. This is to ensure that there’s welfare of the citizens and people can pursue their God-given talents and generate much income and give the government what is due to it.

    We are in an age of technology and ICT, which is actually an enabler for tax collection. How rich are you in data collection?

    We have a reliable database that we trust the integrity of information that we get from it. If you do not have a reliable database, it’s a challenge. So, that is very critical and it is one of the responsibilities that we are saddled under the Tax Identification Number template. It is to ensure that there’s universality of information that is available to all tax authorities.

    Somebody moves from Lagos to sokoto, the person is identified through the system and so eliminates the incident of double or multiple taxation. So, it’s very critical and we are doing all that is possible for us to have that platform put in place. In that platform, you can exchange information with various other platforms and interrogate information from those platforms to get additional information. We have various tax duties with other countries and we share information with the aid of technology and using the Tax Identification Number. You can also trace the assets or income of Nigerians worldwide.

    What’s the level of compliance?

    The VAIDS scheme came into being in July 2017 and it’s supposed to end on the 31st of March this year. We are still collecting information as to who are those that are taking advantage of this scheme. Just yesterday in Lagos when we were leaving the Federal Inland Revenue retreat, we had requested the State to give us feedback because we normally collate returns from the States and I believe that by the end of this week, the returns will be in but with the feedback we are getting, we want them to be backed by statistics. The feedback is quite encouraging because what that has done is that it has created a window of opportunity for people to be able to come forward voluntarily and truly declare their income and save themselves the hassles of penalties and interests and in most cases criminal prosecution can come up for tax evasion. So, very soon, we will be in a position to give you some statistics to backup the level of compliance under this scheme.

    How can you effectively tax political heavyweights?

    The tax man is not a political agent. The tax man, by provisions of the law, has access to so many information and he is a professional. So, the professional ethics also bring all levels of discipline on how you manage the information that is at your disposal. I think the perception has been because of the way the Voluntary Asset and Income Declaration Scheme was initiated and flagged off, it needed an Executive Order to say let us create this window and bring in the various authorities that have the power under the law to waive some portion of taxes to key into it. We are looking at previous non-compliance with the law because once you are afraid or unwilling to comply with the law, it amounts that you have evaded tax which is a criminal issue. We want to have all-inclusive governance and allowing people take advantage of this opportunity so that we can begin to get the citizens to take ownership of the tax administration system. It doesn’t matter which government is in or out. If you check the provisions of the law, the tax man can carry out the tax investigation backward six years without the person who was there at that time. But what this scheme is doing is that previously, you have evaded taxes, we carried out the assessment but we will not apply the sanctions that would have been applicable because you evaded tax. We remove the issue of penalties, interests and not press criminal charges against you for tax evasion. So, I think people should take advantage of it.

    However, it’s not a new law, it’s riding under the provision of the various tax laws where this kind of windows are available. But again, we are doing it in a holistic manner at various levels of government. So, let us key into this scheme and see how we can use that to bring more people into the tax net.

    The scheme says any person that comes under this declaration there’s no sanction. These laws are already there, if you don’t declare, the normal tax law provision applies.

    As per the rich and influential, I think that is just the normal perception that they won’t pay. They are complying. The rich are the most powerful but come to think of it, we are about 180 million people in Nigeria. But today, both corporate bodies and individuals that pay taxes as contained in our record are just about 14 million. The bank verification exercise revealed that individual account holders are over 30.5 million. That means over 30 million people are economically active and viable to have money to put in the account. The National Identity Management Company’s database shows that about 22 million Nigerians ought to be taxed. So, you find out that those who pay taxes are just few out of the entire working population. Today, about 62 million Nigerians are gainfully employed in one form or another but all you see only are those that are in formal sectors. So, I don’t know of any Nigerian that has been above the law and have not been brought to book. If there are, I think the members of the noble profession, the press should expose it. The difficulty we have always had is that we do not have clear way of identifying who should be paying what taxes. What we are only telling the members of the public is that the tax man today knows you beyond how you know yourself. Now, we have these information but we just want you to take advantage of this window. After 31st of March 2018, we begin to serve some love letters. So those hidden assets and income you hid somewhere we will bring them out.

    What are your targets?

    From this exercise and other similar exercises, what we are doing is to ensure that we have a reliable database. We expect that at the end of this exercise, we should have not less than 40 million Nigerians in the tax net and given the amount of assets and income we see, w expect huge revenue. Just yesterday, the FIRS revealed that it collected taxes of N4.02 trillion in 2017, which is far beyond what was collected in 2016. In this year’s budget, they are anticipating to collect N6.4 trillion. From this exercise, we expect that $1 billion which translates to about N320 billion will come at the Federal level. At the State level, the figures will be higher. This just tells you the possibilities that are there. We believe that there are states that can generate enough to sustain themselves outside the federal government allocation. When we make available these figures from last year, you will be able to have an insight as to what we are looking at this year and the years ahead.

    What should be Nigerians justification to pay tax since basic amenities are lacking?

    You don’t think government is providing enough security, but is that a justification for you to start commits crimes? That you do not have the roads or water you expect, what we are saying as revenue administrators is that having put a government in place to exercise authority under law, we are also under the law to ensure that you make your own contribution by paying your taxes. Now having paid your taxes, there’s a social contract between the governed and the government. You can now demand for accountability having taken ownership of that. You can now ask questions. If you don’t pay your tax even, your right as a citizen is compromised. So, if you pay your taxes, then you can now ask questions because you put those who are there in government. It’s not for us tax administrators to give you reasons why it didn’t happen. We are just playing our own role of ensuring we do what we are meant to do under the law.

    Cooperation with other countries

    I don’t want to be quoting statistics. I will like to quote them directly as they come to us because what we did was to not try to reinvent the wheel but let’s see what has worked in some other places and then go ahead to implement it here. But let’s also not forget that our environment, conditions of implementing laws differ from country to country. So, we must first of all look at the attitude of our people, mentality and how the government’s structure itself works. Like I said, these laws they have always been in place, what has been lacking is awareness on the political will to effectively enforce these laws. The thing is that you must get people to take ownership of the system and in taking ownership, people will not give what they don’t have. If they don’t have the information or knowledge, they can’t take ownership of the system. That’s why it’s very important that what you are helping us do will help to sensitise, educate and enlighten people. Let them know that their payment of taxes will help the social contract between the governed and the government and that it gives you certain level of rights where you can demand for accountability after those tax payers money have been utilised.

     

  • Nigerians to pay VAT on international passports – FIRS

    Nigerians to pay VAT on international passports – FIRS

    The Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) on Monday said soon, Nigerians might begin to show evidence of tax payment before obtaining their passports.

    Mr Tunde Fowler said this at the 136th meeting of the Joint Tax Board which had the theme: “Increased Inter-Agency Co-operation to Enhance Tax Compliance and Optimise Revenue Collection’’ in Abuja.

    “We did take a position and I believe it would be implemented in the very near future that before you get any services from the immigration department: renewal of passports etc, you’d have to show that you are a tax payer.

    “These things are normal all over the world, In an effort to serve Nigerians and Nigeria better.

    “People believe that payment of tax is a burden and I’ll repeat that you only pay tax on income and profits.

    “So if you reside in Nigeria and you are benefiting from being a Nigerian resident, it is only fair that you contribute to the system that makes you enjoy that standard of living.’’

    He said the FIRS set a target to increase the individual taxpayer data base by 10 million by Dec. 31.

    “I’m glad with our co-operation; we’ve been able to attain 30 per cent of that. We’ve been able to get three million individual taxpayers across the nation.

    “I’d like to congratulate Kano State for leading the pack by increasing the database by 944,000 followed by Lagos with 306,000 then Kaduna and Plateau,’’ he said.

    The Corps Marshall of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Boboye Oyeyemi, lamented that the FRSC was being owed N700 million for number plates production.

    He also decried the high rate of fake documentation at ports, saying “if we can strengthen inter-agency collaboration, we’ll get more results now that the focus is on IGR’’.

    The Chairman of the Abia State Board of Internal Revenue, Mr Udochukwu Ogbonna, urged the revenue generating agencies to co-operate digitally to ensure success and curb corruption.

    Also, the Chairman of the Edo State Internal Revenue Service, Mr Oseni Elamah, said “the FIRS should have a digital one-stop-shop accessible to all partners’’.

    Some revenue generating agencies on Monday met in Abuja to curtail loss, stop corruption and increase proceeds to government coffers in 2017.

    The event brought together all states internal revenue service chairmen and the bosses of the Nigeria Customs Service, and the Nigeria Immigration Service.

  • FG bars consultants from collecting tax

    FG bars consultants from collecting tax

    Tax consultants have been shut out of assessing and collecting tax revenue on behalf of the federal government.

    This clarification was given Monday by the new Acting Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Mr. Babatunde Fowler in Abuja when he met with members of the Joint Tax Board (JTB).

    Fowler admitted that consultants will be engaged by the FIRS to gather data only.

    He said the FIRS has “under 1,000 staff in audit function so you can imagine 1,000 staff trying to review or audit the books of 450,000 companies, it just won’t work, to improve the levels of transparency and accountability these consultants will only gather data, the law does not allow them to do assessment or collect revenue on behalf of government they’re just to assist our staff to collect data.”

    The FIRS he said; “will do the assessment with the States Board of Internal Revenue and issue the demand notices for the tax due.”

    Some state members of the JTB had complained that “many consultants come to make huge claims so that they can get huge commissions, but they don’t have the capacity to actually collect the huge revenue they claim to have collected in some states.”

    On recent calls for an upward review of the Value Added Tax (VAT) collected by the federal government, Fowler noted that “it is the responsibility of the federal government and the federal ministry of finance to decide whether that (VAT) will change.”

    Fowler agreed that 5 percent VAT charge was low “when you consider other countries who charge VAT both in West Africa and in Europe but those other countries have reached what I will call the maximum level when it comes to paying taxes or public tax. Those countries have 99 percent tax compliance so I think we should first of all get there before we consider increasing VAT, when everyone is paying their taxes then we can look elsewhere.”

    In order to build on the achievements of his predecessors Fowler said he would reached out to States Board of Internal Revenue for collaboration stressing that “there are many stones left unturned as far as our current tax administration processes are concerned. For example it is common knowledge that administration of VAT is greatly hindered by many factors, ranging from inadequate coverage of vatable persons to non-remittances of VAT deductions, tax revenue loss in this aspect can only be imagined,” he said.

    Speaking to journalists on how the FIRS will operate under his watch, Fowler said his “strategy is going to change a bit, our objective is to have 99.9 percent level of compliance meaning that everyone and corporate entities that are taxable are captured in the tax net and pay the appropriate tax.”

    The FIRS he said will “exchange information with states boards of internal revenue so that we have all the information on their own data base, we’ve given them ours already meaning that if there is any company that they don’t have in their data base they can capture such company so immediately we will have a growth in the number of tax payers at both the federal and state levels within one week.”