The Federal Inland Revenue Service has assured businesses in the country of a friendly tax administration.
The Executive Chairman of FIRS, Dr Zacch Adedeji, disclosed this when he hosted the management team of MTN Nigeria, led by its Chief Executive Officer, Karl Toriola, in Abuja recently.
Adedeji stated the agency’s resolve to create an environment for business growth by removing every obstacle in the way of corporate entities was in line with the directive of President Bola Tinubu.
President Bola Tinubu had in September approved the appointment of Zacch Adedeji as the acting executive chairman of FIRS.
The FIRS chairman further explained that the ongoing restructuring at the agency had led to the creation of a one-stop shop for taxpayers according to their turnover thresholds.
He added that it was part of measures aimed at easing the payment of taxes in the country.
“The way we are structured now is that we have large taxpayers’ group, medium and small. Those in the large tax group were companies with turnover of N5bn and above and I know that is where MTN belongs.
“In the large tax category, you will now be required to pay all your taxes, including Company Income Tax, Value Added Tax, and others in that one-stop shop, where you can also have issues relating to audit sorted,” he said.
Adedeji added that the issue of multiple letters from various units within FIRS over almost the same matter had been taken off the system with the ongoing restructuring.
He added that the agency was focused on providing the needed service to their customers.
“The relationship between FIRS and you the taxpayers is symbiotic. Your existence determines our existence. If you discover anything in our policies or operations that you are not conversant with, feel free to reach out to us for clarification. This is how we can co-exist,” he said.
Earlier the CEO of MTN Nigeria pledged the company’s support towards the initiatives of the Federal Government and FIRS in increasing tax revenue.
“We are here just to pay a courtesy visit and to congratulate you on your appointment and confirmation. We are also here to pledge our support as MTN Nigeria Plc towards the initiatives of the Federal Government of Nigeria and also for the organisation towards making sure that you increase the tax revenue base of Nigeria.
“Over the years, through various administrations, we have taken pride in always being a partner and ally to the Federal Government and we do so by ensuring that we pay our taxes on time. We will never deliberately avoid taxes. We will show flexibility to support the various initiatives,” he asserted.
According to Toriola, MTN Nigeria understands the kind of challenges the nation is facing and it is ready to be partners in getting the economy in its right place.