• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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FIRS boss emerges 15th president of CATA

FIRS moves to recover unremitted taxes from states, LGs

The Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Muhammad Nami, has been elected by the 47 member countries of the Commonwealth Association of Tax Administrators (CATA) as its 15th President for a three-year tenure.

Speaking during the virtual conference of the Forum on Friday, Nami noted that due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, taxation has become the mainstay for economies around the world over as nations look inward to taxation as the most viable alternative to provide the required revenue to fund the government.

He explained that with the COVID-19 lockdown, digital technologies have transformed the way and manner humans interact and do business with each other, which has consequently brought about novel challenges for tax administrators.

He said, “Today, taxation has become the mainstay of every economy around the globe. The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected the earnings of most economies, especially those whose revenue sources were fetched from activities such as recreational tourism, medical tourism, minerals exploration, commodity exportation et cetera.

“These activities were performed minimally, and in some cases even experienced total cessation due to physical restrictions imposed by many nations during the COVID-19 lockdown. Economies across the world have had no other choice but to look inward to taxation as the most viable alternative to provide the required revenue to fund the government.

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“This new normal brought about a greater embrace of digital technologies that came with its own challenges for tax administrators. One of these challenges is the inadequate capacity of tax administrators to understand and track digitalised transactions which have become the order of the day.”

Nami, while appreciating members of CATA for the confidence they have reposed in him by electing Nigeria as President, pledged to mobilise the member countries and other tax bodies to build the capacity of tax administrators to tackle the challenges they face.

“Your support is an honour that I do not take lightly,” Nami stated. “I want to assure all members that I will work assiduously in delivering on the mandate of this office, and I will not disappoint you. It is a great privilege and I do not take it for granted.

“I will work with the CATA Secretariat to effectively collaborate with other tax bodies such as ATAF, WATAF, UN, OECD, NTO, among others, in the area of training and sharing of experience of good and innovative practices in tax administration around the globe.

“One goal I hope to achieve as your President is to work hand-in-hand with member countries to expand the character of tax administration such that our work is in tune with today’s innovation and realities,” he said.