FIRS tasks States on boosting tax collection

From Uche Usim, Abuja

To swell States revenue profile and reduce their hunger for loans, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has advised them to urgently leverage the use of technology to boost tax collection by relevant revenue boards.

The Executive Chairman of FIRS, Mr Muhammad Nami gave the advice at the 46th meeting of the Joint Tax Board (JTB) in Abuja on Friday.

According to him, theme of the meeting “leveraging technology solution for enhanced administration of indirect taxes” was carefully chosen to address peculiar current economic challenges in Nigeria.

He warned that addiction to crude oil revenue remains a huge mistake as oil revenue is no longer a life raft for the country; hence the need to put necessary strategies to enhance non-oil sector for maximum revenue generation.

He disclosed that in 2019, it was only N250 billion generated from oil taxes adding that what would be generated in 2020 would be far less than that of last year.

“We must leverage on technology to enhance tax collection, the concept of using mannual model in collecting revenue is no longer obtainable.

“People do a lot of businesses that you don’t see them physically, they do it online, we must use electronic system to tax such persons or companies.

“We meet the state tax authorities to talk to ourselves on how we can use technology, data and information to enhance tax collection in their respective states” he explained.

Nami who is also the chairman of JTB told the chairmen to brace up in the course and realisation of diversification of economy in the country.

He added that the attention must be shifted from oil to non oil revenue and technology was key in achieving that.