By Lucy Ogalue
The Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) on Monday engaged Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) on its new digital tax platform to simplify tax compliance.
The Executive Chairman of FCT-IRS, Mr Michael Ango, said that the platform was developed to improve tax administration and make compliance easier for taxpayers.
“The whole idea is that we want to be able to enable you to do all of the things that you want to do in the comfort of your offices.
“We do not want you to be bothering yourself with coming to our offices from time to time because you want to file one document or you want to obtain one tax clearance certificate.
“And so we decided to create this platform,” he said.
According to him, taxpayers can register, file tax returns, compute taxes, make payments and obtain tax clearance certificates through the platform.
“It is a self-service portal. You can actually register yourself, file your tax returns, compute your taxes, make payments, generate your receipts, apply for your tax clearance, all by yourself,” he said.
Ango also said that the portal was designed in-house with support from the Nigeria Revenue Service and customised to meet the needs of FCT taxpayers.
He said the engagement was organised to demonstrate the portal’s features and obtain users’ feedback.
“We have tried to improve what we had in line with current realities to make it more robust, secured and to provide more value-added services to our stakeholders,” he said.
The chairman said the FCT-IRS would continue to prioritise voluntary tax compliance over punitive measures.
He added that the service remained committed to supporting taxpayers and strengthening engagement with stakeholders.
“The reality is that we are there to serve you. Our sole purpose for existing is to serve you and to serve the residents of the FCT,” he said.
Ango urged participants to use the engagement to ask questions and offer suggestions that would improve service delivery.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the National Assembly Library Trust Fund, Mr Henry Nwauba, stressed the importance of collaboration in achieving effective fiscal administration.
Nwauba said stronger cooperation among tax authorities and government institutions was essential for successful implementation of fiscal policies.
According to him, for fiscal policies to succeed, there must be absolute alignment, seamless data sharing and mutual accountability between tax authorities and government institutions.
He said the National Assembly Library was pleased to host the engagement because it promoted knowledge sharing and institutional partnership.
“This engagement provides an excellent platform for exchanging ideas, clarifying policy issues, addressing operational concerns and fostering stronger partnership between FCT-IRS and MDAs,” he said.
Nwauba commended the FCT-IRS leadership for initiating the stakeholder engagement, saying that such proactive engagements not only enhance policy compliance, but also build trust, encourage transparency and create opportunities for continuous improvement in public administration.
The Tax Controller, MDA Tax Office, FCT-IRS, Mrs Fatima Abubakar, said the sensitisation was aimed at helping taxpayers understand the provisions of the Nigerian Tax Act and the Nigerian Tax Administration Act 2025.
She said this was particularly in areas of taxpayer registration, filing of returns, tax assessments and issuance of tax clearance certificates,” she said.
Abubakar stressed that every taxable individual, business and government agency was required to obtain a Tax Identification Number (TIN) for compliance.
She also clarified that under the new tax regime; individuals were expected to declare income from all lawful sources, including rental income, investments, freelance work and other side businesses.
She said that employers’ remittance of Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) tax does not exempt employees from filing annual tax returns where they have additional taxable income.
Similarly, the Director, Tax Operations, FCT-IRS, Mrs Salome Adeyemi, said the new Nigerian Tax Act was designed to eliminate multiple taxations, protect vulnerable and low-income earners, and modernise tax administration through digital technology.
Adeyemi said that the new tax portal would simplify tax filing and remittances while promoting transparency, reducing errors and blocking revenue leakages.
She urged taxpayers and stakeholders to fully embrace the digital platform and support voluntary compliance through timely tax filing and the on-boarding of new taxpayers.
”Feedback from users will help improve the system and enhance service delivery,” she said.
In the same vein, a representative of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Mr Mohammed Ali, said the initiative demonstrated transparency and would boost stakeholders’ confidence in the tax authority.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Deborah Coker