e-platform will address issuance, obtaining TCC

By Benjamin Umuteme

Abuja

Clearance Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr Babatunde William Fowler has said that the e-platform introduced by the service would address the current difficulty in issuance and obtaining Tax Clearance Certificates (TCC) in the country.
The FIRS chairman,Babtunde Fowler, who said this at the monthly lunch ime reform seminar by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) in Abuja, added that the electronic Tax Clearance Certificates (e-TCC) would be available next year (2018) for civil servants to use.
Speaking on “Removing the Constraints to Obtaining Tax clearance certificates by public servants”, the FIRS boss assured civil servants that measures have been put in place by the Agency to address the challenges in issuing and obtaining of Tax Clearance Certificates.
TCC is a statutory document issued by a relevant Tax Authority to a taxpayer to certify that he/she has paid the tax required.
Mr Fowler, who was represented by Tax Controller for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Mr Robin Njoku said, noted that from developing the e-services, he listed establishment of Federal Engagement and Enlightenment Tax Team (FEETT) and production and dissemination of taxpayer information guides as some of the measures to ease difficulty in issuing and obtaining of TCC.
He noted that the difficulties could be as a result of knowledge gap in taxation, non-registration of Tax Identification Number (TIN), incomplete documentation, non-remittance of the tax deducted, application of wrong rates in tax computations, under remittance of tax deducted, failure to apply for TCC, application to wrong tax authority, general apathy in obtaining TCC and lack of understanding of administrative processes in the Tax offices.
He said, as penalties, the Tax law provides that any person who commits any of the following offences shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding N200, 000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or to both such fine and imprisonment.
He gave the offences to include: counterfeits, falsifies any document, counterfeits any seal, signature, initial or other marks.
He urged authorities concern to ensure that the tax deducted is remitted to the relevant tax authority on or before 10th of every month.
According to him, number of MDAs in Data base from 2012 to 2017 is 334, adding that 11 MDAs filled annual returns in January 2017.
He said, 4140 certificates were issued in 2012 while 5802 were issued in 2017, saying that in the same period, 26 were unissued in 2012, while 32 were also unissued in 2017.
In his opening remarks, the Ag. Director-General, BPSR represented by Head, Special Projects and Programmes, Mr. Sylvester Ayam said, the event was to create awareness for the reforms initiated by the Head of MDAs on tax clearance certificates.
According to him, the topic of the paper presentation was wisely chosen as a result of wide complaints from civil servants of the difficulty faced while trying to obtain tax clearance certificates.
He expressed optimism that at the end of the program, participates may have been well informed and educated on the issue

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