Tax Ombud Resolves 22 Complaints, Plans 57 Desk Offices To Speed Process

The Office of the Tax Ombud said it has resolved at least 22 of the 33 complaints it has received so far, and plans to set up about 57 desk offices in states and revenue-generating agencies to reduce delays in handling taxpayer complaints.

The Tax Ombud and Chief Executive, Dr John Nwabueze, who disclosed this on over the weekend, said the desk offices are meant to help the office meet the 14-day limit the law sets for addressing a complaint.

Nwabueze said the biggest problem is not the complaints themselves, but how long it takes for letters to move between the office, the complainant and the tax authority.

“Sometimes you might lose maybe a week just to get a letter from one point to the other and a response back. That is half of the 14 days allowed.”

He said the delay has slowed how quickly cases are closed, and that the office has had to use the extra 7 days the law permits, bringing the total to 21 days.

To fix this, the Ombud said his office will place a desk office inside each revenue and tax agency.

“I decided at some point that what we could do is to set up desk offices in all the revenue and tax authorities’ institutions,” he said.

The offices will be in the 36 state internal revenue services, the Federal Capital Territory’s revenue service and other revenue-generating agencies, about 57 in all.

He said the aim is for letters to move in real time. A complaint that comes in the morning should get a response by the end of the day, instead of waiting days for a reply.

“Everything is in progress right now,” he said.

Nwabueze said the office has received 33 complaints so far.

He put the number resolved at “between 22 and 25,” but said he could not give an exact figure.

Most of the complaints have come from taxpayers in several states and the FCT. They cover a wide range of issues, mostly problems with documentation, tax processes and assessments.

The Ombudsman said few Nigerians know the office exists, which is why complaints are still few. He said more people are beginning to learn about it.

To change this, the office is using television, print and live public events to spread the word.

He also said a taxpayers’ charter is nearly ready. “We are almost ready to launch the charter. We’re just getting the necessary approvals from the necessary authorities, then we’ll make it known to Nigerians,” he said.

Nwabueze said the charter will be made available in Nigerian languages, noting that the country has about 200 languages. He said the office will start with a limited number of them for now.

He said the office was set up to spare taxpayers the cost and stress of going to court. “Our services are free,” he said.

Asked what happens if a tax authority rejects the office’s recommendation, he said this has not happened so far.

“I’ve not seen that happen. I don’t expect that to happen if I do my job right,” he said.

He explained that the office works to find a middle ground between the taxpayer and the tax authority.

“My goal really would be to get a resolution for any complaint that comes in. That is my goal,” he said.

If both sides cannot agree, he said, the matter can be referred to the National Assembly or the President.

On the office’s relationship with the National Assembly, Nwabueze said it is still developing. This year, he said, the President provided the funds the office needed as a take-off grant. From January, the office will be funded through the National Assembly’s appropriation.

“I really commend Mr. President for having that vision to set up this office,” he said