Dont be Distracted – Northern Youths Urges FIRS Boss
By Alex Uangbaoje, Kaduna
Youths from the North part of Nigeria, under the auspice of Arewa Youth Forum, (AYF) has tasked the executive chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue service of Nigeria, Tunde Fowler not to be distracted but continue with his tax reforms.
The youths said this is because they are beginning to see the positive outcome of the reforms and how it has raised the revenue generation of the Federal Government.
In a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja, AYF said as a body committed to the well-being of Northern youths in particular and Nigerian youths in general, “so far we are pleased with what the FIRS Boss is doing, we are happy with his reforms in the sector, the outcome and the improvement on tax returns for Nigeria”.
The statement signed by AYF’s Director of social mobilization, Bello Ahmad Abduhamid noted that Fowler needs the support of all Nigerians to succeed and urge all to support the reforms amidst the dwindling fortunes of government.
Part of the statement said, “it is no longer news that oil revenue the mainstay of the Nigerian economy has taken a serious hit and has continued to nose dive over time, even before the advent of this administration.
“Following his track record and antecedents in Lagos State where he brought out many innovations and reforms to change the tax system which has become a case study for all the states in Nigeria and even the Federal Government, government saw the need to bring him on board the new administration to assist government quest to deliver on its promises.
“So far we are pleased with what the FIRS Boss is doing, we are happy with his reforms in the sector, the outcome and the improvement on tax returns for Nigeria, and his commitment to changing the whole system where all Nigerians, especially the elite who hitherto abore paying taxes will now begin to do so.
“Some of Fowler’s key achievements as the boss of the FIRS includes achieving 79% of tax collection in Nigeria in 2016 a milestone unprecedented in the history of the country. With hope of leap in the 2017 calculations.
“A nation wide registration drive brought in an additional 814,000 tax payers into the FIRS tax corridor, which was against the service drive to record only half a million more tax payers into their data base.
“Recently the FIRS boss has also promise to clamp down on company’s and their chief executive officers for evading tax and true to his words, they have been sealing up of company’s that refuse to meet up with the directives to pay up their taxes as at when due.”
Recently Fowler also came up with a move he said would boost the revenue generation by making sure the people show prove of tax payments before getting or renewing new their passports to make sure that Nigerians pay their tax and enjoy the requisite government dividends.
