FCT-IRS Condemns Payment Of Abuja Taxes To FIRS, States

Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS), has condemned what it described as wrongful remittances of taxes meant for the agency to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

The acting executive chairman of FCT-IRS, Haruna Abdullahi, also criticised the payment of personal income tax that is supposed to be paid to FCT-IRS to other states of the federation.

Abdullahi raised these concerns yesterday in Abuja while speaking at a two-day workshop organised in collaboration with the Joint Tax Board and Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, to ensure proper use of IPPIS and GIFMIS platforms.

The Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) and the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) are platforms used for financial transactions and taxation in the public sector.

The acting chairman noted that tax remittances were significant pillars of the financial system, which served as a critical revenue source needed for economic development, promotion of wealth redistribution, and contribution to the overall welfare of the society.

“This engagement is vital to correct the misallocations of past tax remittances. I would like to stress that the Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) exists to serve the people of the FCT, just as the FIRS exists to serve the entire nation. We are not competitors, but rather collaborators in the larger scheme of national development.

“To the FIRS, we say, let fairness and justice prevail. We believe in your institution’s dedication to just and fair practices. And as such, we request that you join us in this crucial endeavor to correct these past mistakes and ensure that the FCT-IRS receives what is rightfully due to it,” he appealed.

Abdullahi while stressing that the anomalies, which were due to inaccurate data entries on the platforms, distort financial records and deprive the rightful states of their due resources. He lamented that the resources wrongly allocated in the past could be better utilised to foster growth and development in the FCT, hence benefiting the residents of the FCT.

He, therefore, appealed to desk officers to be meticulous in their duties, double-check every data entered, every form filled, and every tax remittance made to ensure it goes to the right organisation.

The chairman of the FCT chapter of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, Dr Kennedy Iwundu, in his remarks, explained that the VAT component of tax was meant to be remitted to states, FCT-IRS in the case of FCT, while the withholding tax component was payable to FIRS.

Iwundu advised desk officers to always demand two tax identification numbers (TINs) to be able to make payments for the two tax components.

He called on the tax organisations to comply with the principle of simplicity and certainty, to make payment easy.