The Tax Controller, Benin Micro/Small Tax Office (MSTO) of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Edo State Mr. Suleiman Mijinyawa said Edo State is blessed with all available potentials for revenue generation.
He said it only requires adequate logistics/synergies that would guarantee maximum exploitation of such potentials.
Mijinyawa stated this during a courtesy visit to Chief Oseni Elamah, the Executive Chairman of the Edo State Internal Revenue Service (EIRS) in Benin City.
The Benin MSTO Tax Controller who viewed both revenue agencies as sister organizations described the visit as apt, especially as it focused on x-raying some critical areas of conflict between both agencies, particularly in the areas of synergy, PAYE, and Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC) for staff as well as stamp duties.
He noted the importance of revenue generation towards economic growth, declaring “we must drive our nation forward. We want to make our maximum contribution to the development our nation”.
Mijinyawa who lauded the initiative behind the visit, said it was aimed at unifying the system such that both agencies could work in harmony towards achieving set objectives.
He said that FIRS Edo State is committed towards ensuring that it either meets its target or surpass it while commending the staff for their unalloyed diligence and commitment to duty.
He expressed his belief that the visit would put an end to such areas of conflicts in the course of collection and further help to bridging and advancing the unity, understanding cooperation and partnership between both agencies, just as he called for a joint workshop aimed at training and retraining of staff.
In his remarks, the Executive Chairman, EIRS, Chief (Sir) Oseni Elamah acknowleged the cooperation between the FIRS and States Internal Revenue Services which gave birth to the establishment of the Joint Tax Board (JTB)
Chief Elamah who was represented by the Executive Director in the agency, Hon. (Barr) John Obazee, viewed JTB as a veritable instrument towards enhancing the fortune of states internal revenue services across the country.
He described Tax Identification Number (TIN) as a pet project of the JTB which contains database of taxpayers.
Chief Elamah noted that both FIRS and EIRS owed a responsibility of remitting taxes to each other, adding that with cooperation, such areas of conflict would be eliminated.
While stressing the need towards sustaining the existing cooperation, especially in the area of stamp duties, the EIRS boss also emphasized the need for adequate sensitization of the people, especially on mode of payment and the appropriate channel.
