Nigerian taxpayers’ roll may soon hit 45 million people as the government agency responsible for data integration concludes its assignment.
This was disclosed in Abuja yesterday by Sir Oseni Elamah, Executive Secretary of the Joint Tax Board (JTB), while presenting a report on the new Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) Registration System to the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Tunde Fowler, who is also the Chairman, JTB. Elamah stated the leap in taxpayer roll is the result of collaborative efforts between the (FIRS) and State Internal Revenue Services (SIRSs), part of which is the ongoing integration of databases that will fetch the nation a total of 45 million individual and corporate taxpayers.
The JTB Executive Secretary also stated that the JTB has completed the building of a new TIN Registration System, which is an integration of TIN numbers of various organisations, adding that the growth of the taxpayers’ database is a major flank of the goals of the JTB in collaboration with the FIRS.
For his part, Fowler said the launch of the new TIN registration system will make tax payment easier for taxpayers.
“When the integration of the new TIN Registration System is launched, it will afford prospective taxpayers the opportunity to register for tax from the comfort of their homes and print their registration certificate,” Fowler said. He expressed delight over the completion of the new TIN Registration System, which he said will encourage transparency, efficiency and convenience in tax administration in Nigeria.
“I congratulate the JTB for finalising the new TIN Registration System in record time. We now have a consolidated database for all taxpayers in Nigeria. If you (a taxpayer) goes to any other country or visit another state in Nigeria and they want to check your tax status, what this means is that they can check your tax status by a touch of a button. We want to assure all taxpayers that we are ready to serve them more with technology, convenience and accountability,” Fowler stated.
On the benefits of the new TIN Registration System, Elamah said: “State Revenue Authorities are expected to enjoy immense benefits from the new TIN System. Among these are taxpayer information accessibility and accuracy.
