Okonjo-Iweala advises FIRS on tax identification number

Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has urged the Federal Inland Revenue Service to ensure easy access to Tax Identification Number to fast track clearance of goods at the nation's seaports.

A statement from the FIRS said the minister stated this in Abuja at a one-day sensitisation workshop for members of staff of embassies on the Pay as You Earn, Withholding Tax, Value Added Tax on contracts, and Taxpayer Identification Number.

She also called for speedy issuance of tax clearance certificates to deserving taxpayers, adding that there was a need to consider birth certificate and registration for taxation purposes as obtained in South Africa and Namibia.

In those countries, tax registration and TCC are linked to birth certificate.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Danladi Kifasi, the minister commended the European Union for the remittance of PAYE of its local staff since 2012.

She said the FIRS' effort to grow the nation's revenue base was a step in the right direction, especially in the face of the dwindling oil income.

The minister said, 'Everybody wants development, but nobody wants to pay tax that fuels development. The importance of taxation cannot be over emphasised, especially in the wake of dwindling income from oil revenue.

'Any effort by the FIRS to grow the revenue base of the country is welcome and everybody must contribute his or her share, especially, when somebody is earning taxable income. You cannot escape tax and claim to be a responsible citizen of that country. Once you pay tax, you can now have the benefits that come with payment of taxes. Tax payment is the backbone of any country.'