(NAN)
The Federal Capital Territory Inland Revenue Service (FCT-IRS), has pledged to ensure robust engagement with taxpayers with a view to addressing their complaints.
The Acting Chairman of FCT-IRS, Mr Haruna Abdullahi made the pledge at the Forum of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
According to him, plans are ongoing by the FCT-IRS to engage in town hall meetings with the residents once in a while in order to engage with them one on one, we should meet with quite a number of people.
“So, as part of the engagement process, we will certainly engage directly at town hall level and I think it is the modern way to engage people,’’ he said.
While emphasising that quick response to taxpayers’ queries remains a priority for the FCT-IRS, Abdullahi said that people can reach the service through the dedicated number 07002200002 for assistance.
“If you call, there will be people that will respond to your queries as the service is always open.
“We also have the email addresses to contact us at fctirs.gov.ng
“The website is quite interactive and we have made it easier for people through the social media platforms because we will continue to engage.
“The town hall meeting is a priority for us, it is something we want to formalise so that people will see us more and feel that we are there to assist them,’’ he said.
He added that with the introduction of USSD Code for Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), residents can dial *7737*22# to verify their TIN.
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“You can verify your TIN using your registered phone number, NIN or BVN,’’ he said.
Abdullahi further said that direct communication with FCT residents would improve service delivery and contribute immensely in checking irregularities in the system.
According to him, it will address concerns of tax advisers who engage in unethical conduct of assisting taxpayers to doctor tax records as well as concealing documents required to arrive at a fair assessment of tax dues.
Abdullahi said that residents could leverage on the strategic partnership of FCT-IRS with the Joint Tax Board (JTB) on TIN registration.
He said that the partnership was aimed at assisting residents of the FCT to obtain their TIN with ease, ensure efficient service delivery and promote ease of doing business.
“The new TIN has a unified database and it uniquely identifies individual taxpayer in the country, such that if the person moves from one state to another, he or she can still use the same TIN.
“By this initiative, FCT has joined other states in the federation on the platform.
“With this development, taxpayers are to note that requesting for TIN in the FCT can now be done in either of these ways.’
According to him, personal TIN request using mobile devices, the taxpayer is to download the JTB mobile app from the play store or apple store.
“This enables taxpayers to register their personal details and generate the TIN from the comfort of their homes/offices using the JTB mobile app.
“For personal TIN request using web, this allows the taxpayers to request for TIN from the comfort of their homes/offices using the website.
“To do this, the taxpayer is required to visit the website https://tin.jtb.gov.ng/ and follow the instruction,’’ he said.
Abdullahi also said that representatives of duly registered corporate taxpayers and agencies could also apply via the JTB website or walk-in to any of the tax offices to request for TIN.