FIRS trains journalists on tax reportage

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has partnered with Afropolitan Media Limited to start a national sensitisation and capacity-building training programme for media professionals on tax reporting.

The training became imperative following several reforms initiated by the FIRS under the leadership of its Executive Chairman, Mr. Muhammad Nami, and new challenges posed by rapidly unfolding developments to tax bodies in the country and globally, especially by e-commerce, which has obliterated transnational borders and broken down transcontinental barriers.

The training therefore, was conceived in order to deepen knowledge of the Nigerian tax administration among finance correspondents so that they can report the sector better to the understanding and benefit of taxpayers in the country.

The first of the capacity-building series had in attendance participants of finance correspondents from both traditional and new media organisations.

While addressing participants, the Chief Executive Officer, Afropolitan Media Limited, Hajiya Aisha Umar Halilu, stated that “the workshop aims to bring participants up to date on current challenges faced by tax authorities like the FIRS and the importance of the media reporting these challenges ethically and responsibly in close collaboration with the FIRS & other tax bodies at the sub-national levels and for the education of the taxpaying public.”

Hajiya Halilu lauded Mr. Nami and the FIRS for supporting the capacity-building training programme for media professionals in the country.

She urged the finance correspondents to participate actively in the workshop and wished them a fruitful deliberation.

The theme for the capacity-building program is “The Role of the FIRS in Driving the Nation’s Tax Administration for Nation-Building”.

Also speaking at the event, Mallam Shehu Mohammed, Managing Partner, Shehu Mohammed, and Co, facilitator at the event said the importance of tax payment to the development of the nation cannot be underestimated.

He explained that citizens have the responsibility by law to pay their taxes and failure of which would attract sanctions.

He added that sometimes the misunderstanding by people of paying multiple taxes is not multiple taxes.

He explained that there are different kind of tax by law that is being collected by the various level of government and their agencies.

“Sometimes, it is the tax collected by different agencies as defined by the law that the people told to be multiple taxes,” the facilitator added.

Also, Ibraheem Ajibola another facilitator said the role of Journalists in the development of any nation cannot be over-emphasized because the press controls the minds of the people.

He added that over the years, FIRS had carried out a lot of innovations to ease tax administration and ensure adequate and prompt payment.

He further said that there are offices of tax payment at the Federal level, 36 states as well as all the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the country.

“In addition to the offices, the revenue agency had introduced online platforms and software for people to pay their taxes from the comfort of their offices and homes.

“There are also social media platforms to lodge complaints and seek clarification where responses were given immediately,” he added.

The theme of the training is ‘The Role of FIRS in Driving the Nation’s Tax Administration for National Building‘. VON