By Ben Adoga
The Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Services (FCT-IRS) on Tuesday commenced an aggressive campaign to inculcate tax-paying culture on both individuals and organizations.
This is as it has declared the March 31st deadline to penalize defaulters who do not file tax returns.
The Acting Chairman of FCT-IRS, Haruna Abdullahi, who led a roadshow, said awareness creation was one of the strategies the Service had adopted to hit its over N200 billion tax target.
Abdullahi noted that the Service has adopted several measures to change people’s negative attitudes towards tax paying.
“We want to let residents in Abuja know that they have the responsibilities to pay their taxes and also file their tax returns. They should know that March 31st is the deadline for filing tax returns, and there is a penalty for defaulting.
“One way of achieving our tax target of over N200 billion is by the awareness we are creating today so that more people will file their taxes and that will affect our bottom line.
While he noted that the sensitization campaign for improving tax will be intensified, he also disclosed that the service may resort to extant laws to prosecute defaulters.
According to him, it is an offense for organizations and companies to fail in filing their tax returns as and when due.
He went further to explain that the campaign will not be limited to the city center, but take to all Area Councils, to ensure that all residents were properly carried along.
Abdullahi said, ” the road show was to create an impression that FCT-IRS exists and also tell the public our roles and services we provide, and to also enlighten the public on their responsibilities to the country and FCT in particular.
“We are also taking our campaign to all the area councils and not just the city center. The FCT-IRS is guided by personal income tax and the FCT tax Act”, he added.
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On his part, the Director of Tax Operation, FCT -IRS, Mr. Malik Tukur warned that tax evasion attracts sanctions.
“In other climes, people are arrested for evading taxes. we want everyone to file their annual returns as and when due” Malik said.
Also, the Director Human Resource, FCT IRS, Mr. Mohammed Jada, who spoke on the efficiency drive of the Agency, stated that programmes have been designed for training and retraining of staff towards building their capacity for maximum service delivery.
