Babatunde Fowler

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) on Thursday in Abuja, said it registered 362,000 new taxpayers across the country within the last few months.

Chairman of the service, Mr Babatunde Fowler, disclosed this while briefing newsmen after a budget defence session with the Senate Committee on Banking and other Financial Institutions.

He said that the service was targeting to meet 90 per cent compliance with tax-paying.

“The honest truth is that when it comes to payment of Value Added Tax (VAT), less than 10 per cent in terms of numbers actually are remitting on VAT.

“If those people who are benefitting from Nigeria and actually have the love for Nigeria can do the right thing by paying their taxes they will be empowering government to provide services.

“We intend to make sure that we get at least 90 per cent compliance.

“Over the last few months, we have added over 362, 000 new tax payers and then our job is just to make sure that we enforce payment,” he said.

Fowler added that the service planned to recruit 1,250 new staff once its budget was approved.

“Basically, what we are discussing is 2016 budget and within the budget, we do have in line for recruitment of staff in terms of staff expansion.

“In total we are expecting to recruit about 1,250 and we have not started and that process will start once the budget has been approved,” he explained.

He said that the service would embark on mass sensitization so that more people would pay tax and Nigeria would develop.

The chairman expressed confidence that even with the economic crunch, the service would meet its target for 2016.