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The Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, reading from its first Quarter, 2013 revenue collection streaks, has assured that it would meet the government revenue target of N5.72 trillion by September this year.
Drawing confidence from the result of its modernisation and automation projects, particularly the Integrated Tax Administration System, ITAS, FIRS has jerked up its internal revenue target of 2013 to N6trillion.
FIRS also announced that, at the end of April, 2013, it collected a total of N1.5 trillion (1,581,480,553,562.50), saying that the figure is an improvement on what it collected same period in last year.
A press statement issued by Director, Communications & Liaison Department, FIRS, Emmanuel Obeta, stated that at the Regional Enlarged Management Meeting, REMM, in Lagos, yesterday, FIRS management team strategised on how to achieve the targets.
It stated that some of the issues discussed at the Lagos REMM included how to improve efficiency in FIRS revenue collection through the implementation of ITAS and improve staff motivation to ensure utmost performance.
Mashi said: “What I want to tell staff is that we must be focused and not be distracted. I like to assure you that we will remain resolute and committed on our mandate.
“You must have heard that the honourable minister of finance and coordinating minister for the economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala had restated her support for our staff. What is expected of us is to be focused and committed to our duty.
“When she visited us, I like to remind you that we pledged to the minister that we will collect this year, more than what we collected last year…and believe me, it can be done. We have the capacity, we have the potential. We are not doing badly but we must re-commit ourselves. In the first four months of 2013, we have collected more than what we collected same period last year”, he said.
The acting chairman also said that from August 2013, FIRS will begin to implement various components of the ITAS project which the Service has been working on.
When completed or implemented, the ITAS project will enhance online-real time payment of taxes and automatic receipt of tax clearance certificates, real time generation of Withholding Tax Credit Notes.
ITAs is also expected to automate the raising and posting of assessments, filing of withholding tax credit/receipts, collation of arrears, risk analysis, production of reports and automated generation of demand letters to taxpayers
The project will also eliminate paper file movement in the organisation and replace that with electronic systems.
This, according to Mashi, will ease hiccups in procurement and payment system in the organisation.
Speaking on the essence of the REMM, the coordinating director, Field Operations Group, Mr. Sunday Ogungbesan said management has seen the reason to always sit together with staff of different regions to gauge their pulse on their field operations.
He said such meetings have helped the Service to make effective decisions in the past, adding that the meeting in Lagos will help it to interact with the staff in Lagos regions and make good decisions.
Ogungbesan said “Our main focus in 2013 is of consolidation and strengthening existing ground. This we intend to achieve by vigorously pursuing the goals of the restructuring, which are entrenchment of customer service strategy operations, consolidation of taxpayer segmentation, improvement of taxpayer services, all aimed at improving taxpayer compliance. If managed properly, all these efforts are expected to result in high level of increasing revenue flow into the revenue basket.
“An up to date report of FIRS revenue collection as at the end of May 2013 shows that our collections are beginning to pick up, and I will urge all Tax Controllers, Regional Coordinators and Directors to work continuously so as to sustain the rising tempo and ensure that we are able to meet the half-year target at the end of June, 2013”.
Meanwhile, Mashi asked the general public to be wary with some fraudulent elements in the society who might be using the name of the Service or individuals to extort money from them in the name of giving them jobs in FIRS.
Mashi said that it had come to his notice that some misguided individuals are peddling rumour that FIRS is recruiting.
“At the moment, FIRS is not recruiting new staff. FIRS had a tradition of advertising widely, its recruitment appeals, and we will do that when we are prepared to have another batch of recruitment.
“I have received a lot of text messages and mails from people on this. They said that some people notified them that FIRS is recruiting…but there is nothing like that going on. We have concluded 2010 recruitment exercise and I know that recently, we employed some of our contract staff”, he said.
The June 2013 Lagos REMM was attended by FIRS Management and some staff from Lagos Mainland (West), Lagos Mainland (East) and Lagos Island regions.