FIRS online payment initiative: New move boosts voluntary tax payment

Taxpayers can now pay their taxpayers online by logging into the internet banking platform of any commercial bank in Nigeria, choosing the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) link and following the prompting.

Experts say the tax payment initiative is capable of improving voluntary tax compliance and enable the FIRS ensure greater transparency in its operations as taxpayers will now have full access to their records.

The e-tax pay solution is a modernisation initiative by the FIRS in collaboration with the Nigeria Inter-bank Settlement System (NIBSS) and the System Specs Limited to meet the expectations of taxation stakeholders in the area of service delivery.

The self-service initiative is being introduced to strengthen the self-assessment regime and to improve voluntary tax compliance using the online payment options. The initiative will bring in more tax revenue and also provide convenience for both the taxpayers and the tax authorities

The e-Tax Pay Solution is a self-service FIRS channel available on all commercial banks’ internet banking platforms.

“Once a taxpayer logs into any bank’s internet banking platform, he can click the FIRS link to pay his taxes and or submit necessary documents, the same way he may choose to pay other bills,” Kabir Mashi, acting executive chairman of the FIRS, said at the launch and public sensitisation of the new product over the weekend in Lagos.

Recall that in its bid to simplify and ease tax payment process, the FIRS introduced the electronic filing (e-filing) platform. E-filing system, which is now operational in most cities nationwide, is a part of the end products of the Integrated Tax Administration System (ITAS) Project which the FIRS, with the support of Federal Government embarked upon few years ago.

The utmost aim of the ITAS project is to modernise tax administration in the country, from entirely manual process to all-round and completely automated system.

Gbolaga Oshiga, director, programme management office (tax), FIRS, while explaining the features of the e-tax pay solution, said “the platform is so user friendly and interactive that a first-time user would not find it difficult to complete the process.”

Iheanyi Nwachukwu