The Benue Board of Internal Revenue Service (BIRS) has partnered the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) on revenue mobilisation in the state.
The Executive Chairman, BIRS, Mrs Mimi Adzape-Orubibi and Mr Bulus Rimamskep, FIRS Controller in Benue, embarked on a walk tagged, “Sensitisation Taxpayers Engagement Event” within Makurdi on Wednesday.
Speaking to newsmen after the walk, Adzape-Orubibi said the essence of the event was to sensitise the public on the new synergy between the board and FIRS on data sharing to enhance revenue mobilisation.
Adzape-Orubibi said the data sharing synergy would end over taxation and under taxation in the state, adding that the collaboration would also end tax evasion.
She said the board would continue to engage stakeholders in the business sector for effective revenue mobilisation and collaboration.
“It is all about data collection, data sharing, collaboration, synergy to bring those evading taxes to book.
“This synergy will enable both services to share information on companies and individuals in accordance with their income.
“We don’t handle limited liabilities, we handle enterprises, individuals and these individuals also declare information to FIRS through filing of audited accounts where they will have director’s fees (how much he is earning) but when it comes to BIRS, they under declare,” said Adzape-Orubibi.
She said the services had notified the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) and all other bodies that regulate taxation on the new development in the state.
Corroborating the views of the Chairman, Rimamskep said the services were doing everything to expose companies evading tax.
Rimamskep also said with the synergy there was no hiding place for tax defaulters and their collaborators.
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He said the greatest challenge faced by FIRS in the state was that some companies only existed on paper, thereby making it difficult for the service to tax them.
He said while some did not exist physically, some were located in residential premises.
“We also want to see the possibility of bringing new taxpayers into the tax net.
“A lot of people in business don’t know that they are supposed to pay tax, so through this forum, we will be able to educate them and create awareness about the collaboration by FIRS and BIRS.
“The challenge we face in this place, especially with those in the informal sector is that most of the companies when you go there, you only see a residential place. They don’t exist,” he said.
Rimamakep appealed to corporate entities that have Dec. 31 as their accounting dates to file in their returns on or before June 30th.
(NAN)
