FIRS CHAIRMAN WILL NOT LISTEN TO DISTRACTIONS, GROUP TELLS CSOs

The chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zacch Adedeji, remains focused on the serious job of ensuring the new tax laws bring huge reliefs to ordinary Nigerians and end to multiple taxes for businesses in the new year, according to a group known as Guardian of Truth.

Spokesperson of the Civil Society Organisation, Mr Clement Kolawole, in a statement issued this Saturday in Abuja described as laughable the call for the sack of the Finance Minister and the FIRS Chairman over unpaid money owed sundry contractors, despite impressive tax revenue collection performance by the agency by a lawmaker in the House of Representatives and some civil society organisations.

Kolawole, in the statement said the sack call came from a misunderstanding of the mandate that set up the FIRS.

According to him, FIRS is not involved in the payment of contractors working for the government as the agency only assesses, collects, and accounts for tax revenue due to the federation.

“The fact that FIRS under Adedeji has consistently posted stellar revenue collection performance since assumption of office does not mean the money is warehoused in FIRS.

“The lawmaker of all people should know that about 70 percent of what is shared monthly at the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) by Federal, States and Local Government councils comes from FIRS.

“It is on record that the distributable Federation Account has been on upward swing since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office in May 2023. This has been widely acknowledged, and the President has won praise even from opposition elements for restoring fiscal stability to the country, including the sub-nationals.

“The FIRS chairman is not distracted by such a call and remains determined to ensure Nigerians and businesses fully harness the gains of the new tax laws kicking in January through fair and efficient tax administration,” he said.