FIRS Expands Tax Clarity Initiative With Focus On New Taxpayers

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has held its 2025 Emerging Taxpayers’ Group (ETG) Tax Clinic at Marcellina’s Place in Lagos, drawing hundreds of participants from small businesses, entrepreneurs, and the informal sector.

Under the theme “Tax Clinic for Tax Clarity,” the event provided direct, hands-on support to taxpayers through expert presentations, panel discussions, and one on one advisory desks.

In his opening remarks, executive chairman of the FIRS, Zacch Adedeji, underscored the service’s commitment to shifting from mere enforcement to proactive engagement. “When citizens clearly grasp their tax obligations, rights, and the value of their contributions to national development, compliance is no longer a burden, it becomes a civic responsibility,” he declared. He emphasising that sustainable compliance begins with understanding.

Adedeji highlighted the clinic as part of FIRS’s broader reform agenda, which is one that leverages digital tools like TaxPro-Max and taxpayer segmentation to build a people centered revenue system.

Over the course of the clinic, participants engaged in expert led sessions covering challenges in tax administration, myths and strategies for overcoming compliance barriers, record keeping best practices, and effective dispute resolution.

Notable speakers included Segun Kadiri, Director General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria; Azeez Alatoye of Ascension Professional Services; and Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, who outlined the legal frameworks for tax dispute resolution and the importance of building trust between taxpayers and the Service.

A central feature of the event was the interactive support desks, where taxpayers received on the spot assistance from FIRS departments and partner institutions.

Omokaro said dedicated desks from the FIRS Taxpayer Service, TaxPro Max, Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS), Joint Tax Board (JTB), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), and National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) ensured that participants could resolve filing queries, navigate compliance platforms, and even register for National Identification Numbers critical for tax purposes.

The FIRS chairman extended special thanks to ETG coordinating director Dr. Kabir Abba and partnering bodies CITN, ICAN, ANAN, NBA, NIPC, and the Nigerian Medical Association for their collaboration.

He urged attendees to maximize the resources available, stating, “Your active involvement is vital not only to your own success but to the progress of our nation.” As the clinic drew to a close, participants left better equipped to navigate Nigeria’s tax landscape, reflecting FIRS’s mission to foster an inclusive, transparent, and responsive tax system.