Revenue Collection: FIRS Begins Use Of Software

The Acting Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Alhaji Kabiru Mashi, has said that the service has begun the use of software for optimum tax revenue collection/administration and compliance.

Mashi announced this at the Integrated Tax Administration System (ITAS) go-live programme held in Abuja.

He said that ITAS project was borne out of the FIRS modernisation programme which was conceived to assist the service in assessing, collecting and accounting for taxes collected.

The acting chairman said that the objective of the programme was to make compliance process easier for taxpayers to ensure optimum tax collection and voluntary compliance.

“The main objective of this “go-live’’ programme is to commence the use of software to optimise tax revenue collection/administration function and increase voluntary compliance.

“The Integrated Tax Administration System (ITAS) project was borne out of the FIRS modernisation programme to assist FIRS in discharging its statutory function of assessing, collecting and accounting for taxes collected.

“The objective of the implementation is to make compliance process easier for taxpayers and ensure transparent and efficient tax system that optimises tax collection and voluntary compliance,” he said.

Mashi said that the ITAS implementation was planned for five years, beginning from 2011 and would involve the deployment of Standard Integrated Government Tax Administration System Solution (SIGTAS).

According to him, the implementation will initially cover registration, assessment, payment, accounting, documents and file, e-filing and bank interface until all FIRS requirements are fully implemented.

He expressed confidence that taxpayers would heave a sigh of relief for being able to observe tax compliance obligations from their comfort zones.

“Automation of tax administration constitutes a larger part of the transformation initiative of FIRS. Consequently, ITAS implementation was conceived and SIGTAS solution was procured following Federal Executive Council approval,” he said.

In his remarks, Mr Osy Chike, Coordinating Director, Modernisation Group, said that ITAS project was very strategic to FIRS as well as the generality of tax payers.

Chike said that the ITAS project was a platform for interaction between FIRS and the generality of the taxpayers and to make it easier for Nigerians to meet their tax obligation.