There is nothing in the four tax bills currently before the National Assembly which threatens the existence of any government agency or the jobs of individuals, the chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zacch Adedeji, has said.
Adedeji gave the assurance in Abuja at the Revenue House on Wednesday, while receiving the chief executive officers of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND).
He spoke against the background of fears being expressed that the proposed change of the name of FIRS to Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) will lead to the tax agency subsuming a number of federal agencies.
The FIRS chairman, who commended the management of the agencies for seeking clarification on the bills, explained that the change would only enhance the efficiency of the agencies and make their operations more seamless.
“I want to assure you that there is nothing in the bills that will reduce your funding, effectiveness or efficiency. What we have in the Bills are provisions that will help us in laying a solid foundation for your sustainability.
“The Federal Government is repositioning its fiscal outlook to be able to meet the funding requirements of all agencies. The main objective is to enhance tax efficiency, ease compliance levels.
“The bills, when passed into law, will give various agencies the opportunity to focus on their respective functions rather than bothering about revenue collection.
“In our minds, we see change as reduction or elimination, which is not true. Most times, change is responding to our current circumstances. There is a consensus that multiplicity of taxes is one of our problems. But what are the foundations of this multiplicity?
