FIRS recovers N23bn from 45,000 tax defaulters

FEDERAL Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has realised N23 billion from its closer look at the books of over 45,000 tax defaulters, each of which had over N100 million as turnover in their accounts.

FIRS Executive Chairman, Tunde Fowler, therefore, said the Service, in collaboration with other stakeholders like the Nigeria Police Force, will continue to go after wealthy tax defaulters in 2019.

Fowler, who spoke in Abuja on Thursday when Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu paid a courtesy visit to the Revenue House also disclosed that the Service, was going after another set of 40, 000 millionaire tax defaulters in 2019.

He requested the Nigeria Police to help the Service bring the tax defaulters to pay their taxes.

According to a statement by Head of Communications and Servicom departments Wahab Gbadamosi, Fowler added that FIRS had identified 45, 000 millionaire tax evaders last year, 2018 and recovered the sum of N23 billion through substitution of their bank accounts.

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He thanked the Nigerian Police Force for its support and collaboration over the years which he said has helped FIRS to achieve its target and requested for more support to enable it recover due taxes from more 40, 000 rich tax evaders in 2019.

“Let me put on record that the Nigeria Police Force has been extremely helpful to FIRS. Without the Police, I doubt that the Service would have been able to achieve what we have achieved.

“2018 was a successful year. The FIRS collected a total of N5.320 trillion of tax revenue.

In his response, Adamu said the Police will continue to support the FIRS because the job of revenue generation is critical to the survival of the nation.

“We feel that the work you do is one of the most important for the survival of the country. “And you need to be supported from all angles so that you achieve what you want to achieve to the benefit of every Nigerian.

“We will continue to work with you to improve security so that people would do their businesses here, make profits and pay their taxes.