FIRS goes after 85,000 millionaire tax debtors

The Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mr Tunde Fowler, has said that the Service, in collaboration with other stakeholders like the Nigeria Police Force, will this year go after wealthy tax defaulters.

Fowler said this on Thursday in Abuja when the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, paid a courtesy visit to the Revenue House.
A statement from the FIRS on Thursday said Fowler informed the police boss that already the service had realised the sum of N23bn based on a closer look at the books of 45,000 tax debtors.

He said each of the 45,000 tax debtors had over N100m as turnover in their accounts. The Service, he said, would be going after another set of over 40, 000 millionaire tax defaulters in 2019. He requested the Nigeria Police to assist the Service to bring the tax defaulters to pay their taxes. He said, “We looked at businesses, partnerships of any activity that has banking turnover between N100m and N999m. We have done a review of this group of businesses.

“We have about seven more banks that we are still waiting for the return from and to review their information.

“So far, we have 45,361 that have TIN and are making payments. We have 40,611 that have TIN, that made tax payment and, and we have 44,504 that have no TIN and no pay.

“So, when you look at it from a glance, we have close to 75,000 in this group that are still not taxpayers and we have said the payment of tax is not only for the civil servants. it’s for all Nigerians.

 “So, the millionaires and the billionaires will pay tax on behalf of what is due to the national coffers.”

Fowler commended the Nigerian Police Force for its support and collaboration over the years, which he said, had helped FIRS to achieve its target and requested for more support to enable it to recover taxes due to rich tax evaders in 2019.

“Let me put on record that the Nigeria Police Force has been extremely helpful to FIRS. Without the Police, I doubt that the Service would have been able to achieve what we have achieved.

 “2018 was a successful year. The FIRS collected a total of N5.32tn of tax revenue. This is the highest revenue collection in the history of FIRS.”

Adamu said that the Police would continue to support the FIRS because the job of revenue generation was critical to the survival of the nation.

“We feel that the work you do is one of the most important for the survival of the country. And you need to be supported from all angles so that you can achieve what you want to achieve to the benefit of every Nigerian.

“We will continue to work with you to improve security so that people would do their businesses here, make profits and pay their taxes.

“We believe that with the new management team of the Nigeria Police Force, which is adopting community policing, we would be able to improve security.”

Punch