FIRS, ICPC in talks to combat tax fraud
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) have opened talks on three crucial areas. The talks are centred on seeking ways to mitigate financial tax frauds and other corrupt vices.
At a courtesy visit held on Thursday in Abuja, the ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN stressed the need for effective collaboration to deepen mutual cooperation and synergize efforts for greater impact in the anti-corruption drive.
In his address, the ICPC Chairman stated that the essence of the courtesy visit to FIRS was hinged on discussing three areas of collaboration that would help the cause of tackling corruption most especially the ones that are tax related.
“First of all, there are three critical areas which we need to look at. First to consider is the issue of sharing information between the two organizations and integration of technology. We need to set up a structured process of regular information sharing between us so as to detect potential corruption or fraudulent activities in tax-related matters.
“You have the expertise on tax and we have the mandate of preventing corruption, so I believe effective collaboration would help to identify and tackle the fraudulent practices in the system”
“The second area is the issue of joint investigation and legal reforms. This is an area which the ICPC and the FIRS need to come together with because we know that sometimes corruption also comes in the form of tax evasion and other means of fraud.”
The ICPC boss, who also advocated for a cross-agency committee that will be reviewing and addressing the critical areas of partnership, promised that ICPC was one hundred percent ready to give the FIRS the needed support in the interest of the country’s development.
On his part, the Executive Chairman of FIRS, Dr. Zacch A. Adedeji, expressed delight about ICPC’s visit and the expression of interest to help the revenue-generating agency tackle tax-related frauds in Nigeria.
“I am hopeful and optimistic that we will collaborate effectively, and I am particularly delighted that with your support, our enforcement mandate on tax-matters will improve.”
“We will also develop a framework and we will use technology to do so and I believe you are a ready-made partner for us in the area of revenue generation and the progress, not only for individual agencies but for the federal government as a whole,” he said.
