FIRS realises N27bn from penalty waivers
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has disclosed that it realised N27 billion from the penalty wavers for tax defaulters exercise it concluded in December 2016.
The chairman of the service, Babatunde Fowler, disclosed this at the opening ceremony of the FIRS/journalism. com media training series on accurate reporting of taxation, holding in Lagos
It is part of the efforts of the FIRS to provide voluntary compliance and shield taxpayers from the burden of carrying forward old tax liabilities arising from penalty and interest.
The service had invited principal officers, especially chairmen, managing directors, chief executive officers, executive and nonexecutive directors, chief financial officers and company owners or their representatives to take advantage of a special window to avoid payment of penalty and interest on tax between 2013-2015.
Fowler said: “It has added about 814,000 new tax payers into the national database and assisted in capturing over two million taxpayers into the joint tax board database. The national figure for tax payers is currently 14 million.”
The FIRS boss who was represented by Nneka Ifebunna, a deputy director at the service, said the training was expected to help shore up tax reporting to improve the poor understanding on the issues of taxation.