Zacch Adedeji, executive chairman of FIRS, made the
commitment while receiving the management team of MTN Nigeria in Abuja on
Tuesday.
The team was led by Karl Toriola, MTN’s chief executive
officer (CEO), according to NAN.
Adedeji said the FIRS has resolved to create an environment
of growth by removing every obstacle in the way of corporate entities in line
with the directive of President Bola Tinubu.
The FIRS boss had, on July 6, 2023, assured the government
would ensure it improves the collection of existing taxes, rather than
introduce new ones.
Reiterating the position at the meeting with the MTN team,
he said the ongoing restructuring at the agency, leading to the creation of a
one-stop shop for taxpayers according to their turnover thresholds, is part of
measures aimed at easing payment of taxes.
“The way we are structured now is that we have large
taxpayers’ groups, medium and small,” Adedeji said.
“Those in the large tax group are companies with turnover of
N5 billion and above and I know that is where MTN belongs.
“In the large tax category, you will now be required to pay
all your taxes, including company income tax, VAT and others in that one-stop
shop where you can also have issues relating to audit sorted.
“Essentially, the issue of multiple letters from various
units within FIRS over almost the same matter has been taken off the system
with the restructuring that we have done.
“We are now focused on providing the needed service to our
customers.”
Adedeji further said the relationship between FIRS and the
taxpayers is symbiotic.
“Your existence actually determines our own existence. If
you discover anything in our policies or operations that you are not conversant
with, feel free to reach out to us for clarification. This is how we can
co-exist,” he said.
On his part, Toriola pledged the support of MTN towards the
initiatives of the federal government and FIRS in increasing tax revenue.
“We have been recognised over the years by a few awards
given to us by FIRS on our compliance and diligence in paying our taxes,” he
said.
“Unlike many other organisations, we have a physical
presence in every single local government in Nigeria, and we impact the lives
of almost everyone living in Nigeria.
“Over the years, through various administrations, we have
taken pride in always being a partner and ally to the Federal Government and we
do so by ensuring that we pay our taxes on time. We will never deliberately
avoid taxes.
“We will show every flexibility to support the various
initiatives.
Toriola said the company understands the kind of challenges
the nation is facing, and “we are here to be partners in putting the economy on
the right track”.
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