The Nation Newspaper

Tag: The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS)

  • e-fiscal system rollout

    e-fiscal system rollout

    It is already yielding result; we hope companies that are yet to key in will do so soon

    On August 1, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) rolled out the Electronic Fiscal System, EFS, in what signalled the next major push to modernise the country’s tax administration system, curb evasion, and enhance transparency in revenue collection.

    This is coming after a successful pilot phase that began in November, 2024. The EFS, said to incorporate an electronic invoicing solution known as the Merchant-Buyer Model (MBM), is, according to FIRS, designed to make tax compliance easier, faster, and more transparent for taxpayers.

    It is being implemented in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), with approved service providers on-boarded to act as system integrators and access point providers for taxpayers. These partners, according to FIRS, will support on-boarding, integration, and invoice transmission. The goal is to enable real-time visibility into commercial transactions by the FIRS, while ensuring the authenticity, accuracy, and completeness of invoices.

    This phase, being the first, is said to target large companies with an annual turnover of N5bn and above, while medium-sized and emerging businesses are expected to follow later.

    According to the FIRS spokesman Dare Adekanmbi, at least 1,000 companies, representing 20 per cent of the more than 5,000 eligible firms, have signed on to the system and begun integrating with the FIRS-MBS platform barely two weeks after its launch. The remaining large taxpayers have until November 1 to complete their on-boarding and integration.

    We must commend the steady progress by the FIRS in the long journey to modernise the tax administration system. Just as remarkable is the willingness of the big corporate players to collaborate with it to ensure seamless transition to the new regime.

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    That the revenue agency actually singled out MTN Nigeria, which it said became the first taxpayer to transmit live electronic invoices to the FIRS, officially ushering in the e-invoicing regime, and Huawei Nigeria and IHS Nigeria – both of which, it also said, have concluded test transmissions and thus set to go live in the coming days, is equally significant. It is a major step forward.

    Eight months after, the various players in the journey can look back with pride that at last, the country has not only been availed a tax system that is truly modern but one that is, thus far, being enthusiastically embraced by citizens.

    What remains is for the FIRS to rev up the momentum, to ensure that the November target date for the other big players is not missed, and then to brace up to the task of removing whatever impediments still remaining in its implementation. Here, the expectation is that the agency will not only be putting the lessons learnt in the nearly eight months of the pilot phase into good use, but also fine-tuning those aspects of the implementation plan necessary to ensure seamless delivery whenever the process eventually goes full throttle.

    No less worthy of commendation is the on-going stakeholder engagements which have featured webinars, workshops, and town hall meetings by its e-Invoicing Implementation Team. This should be sustained. However, the agency as indeed the Federal Government, while at it, should not lose sight of the bigger universe: the nurturing of a new tax-compliant culture through a programme of mass education and public enlightenment, without which current efforts will end up delivering sub optimal results.

    And even as Nigerians expect that cutting edge technologies will be deployed to drive the implementation; a robust mechanism for timely resolution of consumer complaints must also be given its pride of place under the new dispensation. In fact, as the agency readies to transit from its old name – the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to the new, the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), an inextricable component of the rite of transition must be a keener awareness of not just the imperative of service but the commitment to its essence.

  • FIRS marks first Research Day, launches new tax data tools

    FIRS marks first Research Day, launches new tax data tools

    The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has hosted its inaugural Research Day, a milestone event aimed at embedding research-driven decision-making into Nigeria’s tax administration.

    The event, championed by the Executive Chairman of FIRS, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, brought together internal stakeholders, scholars, policymakers, and tax professionals to unveil a set of knowledge products designed to boost the country’s tax system and economic governance.

    Speaking at the launch, Dr. Adedeji described Research Day as “a bold statement that research matters in tax administration,” adding that “without research, we risk working in the dark; with it, we shine a light on the path ahead.”

    He stressed that Nigeria’s complex economic realities demand that policy reforms and technological innovations be anchored on credible data and rigorous analysis.

    “Every question we ask, every data point we analyse, and every policy we shape brings Nigeria closer to prosperity,” he said.

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    The FIRS boss also urged all departments to integrate research findings into their planning and execution, while calling for sustained collaboration with the academic and development community “to strengthen the bridge between theory and practice.”

    At the heart of the occasion were the unveilings of three key initiatives: the FIRS Research Policy Document, which sets high ethical, methodological, and transparency standards for research within the Service.

    Others include, the Tax Revenue Statistical Bulletin, an authoritative publication documenting tax data trends from 1970 to 2022, intended as a critical resource for economic analysis and policy-making; and Volume 4 of the FIRS Journal of Tax Studies (FJTS), a peer-reviewed platform featuring contributions from FIRS staff, academics, and industry experts. To expand accessibility, the FJTS digital platform (www.fjts.online) was also launched in collaboration with the Technology Department.

    Director of the Research and Statistics Department, Halima M. Shehu, described the day as “a new beginning, not just a commemoration.”

    She said the Research Policy was designed to safeguard intellectual property, maintain methodological integrity, and foster a culture of inquiry across the Service.

    “Research and reliable data are not optional—they are essential,” she noted, urging more interdepartmental cooperation.

    In a statement issued at the weekend, Collins Omokaro, Special Adviser on Communications and Advocacy to the Executive Chairman, said: “As the FIRS charts a bold path forward, the 2025 Research Day stands as a defining moment—anchored in data, powered by inquiry, and committed to building a smarter, more accountable, and more innovative tax administration system for Nigeria.”

  • FIRS orders banks to close unauthorised tax collection accounts

    FIRS orders banks to close unauthorised tax collection accounts

    The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has instructed banks across the country to immediately identify and shut down any tax and levy collection accounts not authorised under the agency’s TaxPro Max system.

    This directive is part of an ongoing initiative by the FIRS to enhance efficiency, promote transparency, and ensure uniformity in the collection and reconciliation of taxes nationwide.

    In a public notice titled: “Directive to close unauthorised FIRS tax collection accounts” by the FIRS Chairman, Zacch Adedeji, the agency made it clear that all tax and levy collections must now be processed exclusively through assessments generated on the TaxPro Max platform. 

    The announcement was circulated to newsmen on Monday through his Special Adviser on Media, Dare Adekanmbi.

    According to the notice, all banks participating in the FIRS Collection, Remittance, and Reconciliation Scheme are expected to comply with the new directive without delay. 

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    Banks are required to discontinue the use of any unauthorised accounts for FIRS-related collections and to ensure that only transactions originating from the TaxPro Max system are processed.

    “We count on your cooperation to ensure a smooth transition to this centralised system, thereby contributing to a more transparent and efficient tax collection process,” the notice stated.

    The TaxPro Max platform, developed in Nigeria, is a digital solution designed to facilitate key tax activities, including taxpayer registration, filing of returns, payment processing, and the issuance of tax clearance certificates. It was introduced to streamline tax administration and support the FIRS’s broader goal of digitalising its operations.

    The FIRS also encouraged taxpayers and stakeholders who may require assistance or clarification regarding the new directive to contact the Revenue Accounting and Refund Department (RAAD) within the agency.