Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) said it will go after tax defaulters to recover outstanding taxes as from January 2021.
However, before embarking on the tax recovery drive, the FIRS said it will leave the window of opportunity open for tax defaulters to make good on their obligations.
“Waivers of penalties and interest” on outstanding taxes the FIRS said will be in effect till December 31, 2020. Thereafter the window will close.
Outstanding taxes that will incur penalties and interests will be those “arising from desk examinations, audit exercises, investigations or all other forms of tax assessment”.
Dr Abdullahi Ismaila Ahmad, director, Communications and Liaison Department of the FIRS in a statement said the Service is appealing to “taxpayers in the country to take advantage of the remaining days of this month to settle their tax obligations in order to enjoy all subsisting waivers offered by the Service.”
He stated that Mr. Muhammad Nami, executive chairman of the FIRS, has already issued a reminder notice in this regard entitled, “Public Notice on the Recovery of Outstanding Taxes from Taxpayers.”
The public notice says: the FIRS has issued a series of palliatives for the waivers of penalties and interest on outstanding taxes arising from desk examinations, audit exercises, investigations or all other forms of tax assessment.
However, the Service lamented that “some taxpayers are yet to take advantage of the palliative windows opened to cushion the effect of the challenges of the economy on taxpayers.”