PRESS RELEASE:FIRS HANDS OFF TAX COLLECTION IN ABUJA AS FCT-IRS BEGINS OPERATIONS

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) will henceforth cease to be the collecting agency for taxes and levies in the FCT, paving the way for the Federal Capital Territory Inland Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) to assume these duties.

A joint statement on tax collection in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), signed by the Executive Chairmen, FIRS and the FCT-IRS, Tunde Fowler and Abdullahi O. Attah, respectively, in Abuja on Thursday, December 21, 2017 said these changes are with immediate effect.

According to the statement, “the FCT-IRS shall henceforth administer the following taxes and levies in the Federal Capital Territory: Personal Income Tax (PIT); Pay As You Earn (PAYE) in respect of all individuals resident in the Federal Capital Territory under employment in both the public and private sectors; Direct Assessment in respect of all self-employed individuals and enterprises resident in the Federal Capital Territory."

Other taxes to be collected also by the FCT-IRS are the Federal Capital Territory Property Tax; Stamp Duties (SD), Withholding Taxes (WHT), and Capital Gains Tax (CGT) in respect of all individuals and enterprises resident in the Federal Capital Territory. Others include all other taxes and levies the FCT-IRS is empowered to collect by law.

The statement said these taxes shall be collected through approved Collecting Banks and other electronic payment platforms and channels and paid into the Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service Account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The statement however noted that all PAYE deductions of the Armed Forces, Police Personnel and staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall continue to be collected by the Federal Inland Revenue Service and subsequently remitted to the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federal Government.

It added also that Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC), for Taxes hitherto paid to FIRS, shall henceforth be issued by FCT-IRS subject to confirmation of payment. It enjoined all taxpayers to comply with these changes with immediate effect.

Cosmas Uzodinma

Chief Press Secretary

To the FCT Minister