The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has introduced six key electronic solutions (e-Services) to enhance convenience, transparency and round the clock processing and payment of taxes.
According to a statement from agency, some of the e-Services, which could now be accessed online, are taxpayer registration (through e-Registration); payment of Stamp Duties (through e-Stamp Duty); payment of taxes (through online payment: e-TaxPay, Remita); receiving of electronic receipt after payment of taxes (through e-Receipt); filing tax returns online (through e-filing) and online Tax Clearance Certificates (TCC) through electronic Tax Clearance Certificate (e-TCC solution).
The statement quoted the executive chairman, FIRS, Tunde Fowler as saying that the e-Services innovation represent “a revolution in tax administration in Nigeria. The idea behind the six ICT solutions is to make tax payment as easy as ABC, to bring convenience to our taxpayers.
‘‘The ICT solutions which we are bringing to the doorsteps of taxpayers will ensure that taxpayers could pay, get receipt, and get TCC from the comfort of their homes and offices anytime, anywhere in the world and round the clock. This saves the time of taxpayers, is transparent, fast, easy to use and convenient.’’
Also, according to the statement, the implication of e-Receipt is that when tax payments are made, an electronic notification will be automatically sent to the taxpayer’s email and or phone number within 24 hours after payment.
‘‘If for any reason a taxpayer loses the print out, they can access FIRS e-Receipt platform by log in into the FIRS website and download their receipt. This process eliminates manual interventions.
‘‘The e-TCC provides an e-repository of all Tax Clearance Certificates (TCCs) issued by FIRS. It enables FIRS Staff and authorised third parties to obtain their TCC online without visiting a tax office. E-TCC reduces incidence of fraudulent certificates. E-TCCs are automatically sent to the emails of taxpayers. Taxpayers can also request for and print their TCCs online,’’ the statement read in part.