The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has refuted claims it waived tax payments for top Nigerian companies.
Mr Muhammad Nami, the FIRS Executive Chairman, said the
mandate of the service is to collect taxes due to the federation and the
Federal Government.
His statement is in reaction to some media reports that some
companies, including Dangote, Sinotruck Limited, Lafarge, and Honeywell, were
granted tax waivers on pioneer status between 2019 and 2021 in the sum of N16
trillion.
According to a statement issued by his Special Assistant on
Media and Communication, Johannes Wojuola, the FIRS does not have the power or
responsibility of facilitating or implementing tax waivers for investors in
Nigeria.
“There are relevant agencies of the government that are
charged with such a responsibility,” he said.
Nami said that the service was not unmindful of the
objectives of granting tax waivers to investors.
“This includes helping to grow local companies, stimulating
economic growth and earning investors’ confidence. I am confident that the
companies that are now enjoying tax breaks will eventually exit shortly and
begin to pay taxes to the Federal Government.
“This is as it is currently being done by the companies that
have equally enjoyed such tax breaks in the past and are now paying taxes in
hundreds of billions of Naira.
“Such companies will continue to pay taxes to the government
so long as they remain in business.”
Furthermore, Nami said that the companies enjoying pioneer
status would be exempted from paying only direct taxes on their profits.
“But will continue to act as agents for collecting and
remitting indirect taxes (VAT, WHT) in the ordinary course of their
operations,’’ he said.
He emphasised that FIRS remained focused on the task of
achieving its mandate of assessing, collecting, and accounting for taxes due to
the federation and the Federal Government.
“This task is challenging, more so at this time of global
economic disruption occasioned by the Russia-Ukraine war and the pandemic.
“However, the management is steadfast in achieving the
target set for it by the Federal Government.
“For instance, in 2021, the service surpassed its target by collecting an unprecedented amount of N6.4 trillion in taxes. So far this year, the service is poised to perform even better than its record for 2021, “he said. NAN
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