From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
Media practitioners in Kaduna state have been told that they have key roles to play in the quest by the Federal government through the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to increase tax revenue in the country.
This was asserted during a one day training workshop for journalists in Kaduna on how to broaden their knowledge of tax matters organised by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) in conjunction with the Aftopolitan Media Limited, yesterday.
A resource person, Malam Ibrahim Maruf Ajibola tasked the participants on the need to increase public awareness on the enormous benefits of tax in nation building and advancement.
Mr. Ajibola explained that the FIRS under its Executive Chairman, Mr. Muhammad Nami, had modernized the Nigerian Tax Administration and integrated it into the global taxation system through cutting-edge, homegrown Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and partnership with tax authorities across the world.
Ajibola stated that the Tax Promax automated tax software currently in use by the FIRS was conceived and built by FIRS staff under the direction of Mr. Nami and the current FIRS Board.
Prior to this, he said the FIRS had relied on a Canadian-built software – Amanda – to collect taxes in the country, which was serviced at huge foreign exchange burden on Nigeria.
Ajibola disclosed further that the FIRS uses the global SENTINAL software system to track and tax e-commerce transactions in Nigeria, stressing that this has enabled the Service to block holes hitherto in the tax net, making it impossible for anyone to evade paying tax on online purchases, betting, etc.
He also spoke of the 2019 origin of the Finance Act, which is renewed yearly by an act of the National Assembly.
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