Lockdown: FIRS Wants Your Taxes Paid Before Due Date

Amid the growing revenue strains, the Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Muhammad Nami, has appealed to corporate bodies especially, telecommunications, financial services companies, manufacturers, e-commerce and supermarkets, believed to be experiencing increased business activities in spite of the current lockdown to pay their taxes in time.

In a statement titled: “Update on Palliative Measures to Cushion Effect of COVID-19 on Taxpayers – 22nd April 2020”, which was posted on the agency’s Twitter handle @firsNigeria, Nami, said the move had become necessary to “ease some of the cash flow gaps being experienced by the government at this critical time”.

ICYMI: April 6th, 2020, COVID-19: Statement On Measures to Cushion Effects on Taxpayers pic.twitter.com/xX9IJZzbua

— FIRS Nigeria (@firsNigeria) April 25, 2020

While further acknowledging the difficulty faced by businesses due to COVID-19, he nevertheless urged them to “go the extra mile at this time to cooperate with us in making special arrangements to pay their taxes”.

The FIRS boss, who had earlier announced some palliatives for taxpayers in the form of regulatory forbearance, noted that his latest appeal was to seek high level cooperation from taxpayers, whose sectors are experiencing a boom and significant increase in income at the present time.

Although he did not mention the names of the individual companies, he said processors of certain products among others were expected to comply.

Telecommunications service providers including voice and data services, financial services providers as well as online sales have witnessed a spike in commercial activities following the restrictions of movement by the government.
Nami had sometime in March, expressed the agency’s commitment to meeting the N8.5trillion revenue target for the year, despite the current economic challenges.

Addressing members of staff, he urged them to take up challenge and justify the confidence the country had reposed in the service particularly at this “critical time, when virtually all the other sources of revenue for government are being challenged especially, by the coronavirus pandemic, the downward slide in the price of oil at the international market for as low as $30 per barrel against $57 benchmark used for the budget.”

Nami therefore said several measures had been taken since assuming office to boost the welfare of staff as well as encourage them to give their best to improving its revenue profile, adding that, “We shall not relent in providing the right environment for you to succeed”.

According to him, “When the federal government set the N8.5 trillion target, it must have realised that we are equal to the task. As hub of the operations of the service, you are therefore expected to deliver the bulk of the target while the other groups support you.”