The Acting Executive Chairman of the Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS), Mr Michael Ango, has harped on the need for voluntary tax compliance for individuals and businesses in the Federal Capital.
Ango, who received a delegation from the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) led by its President, Chief Emeka Obegolu, said voluntary compliance was the best form of tax collection.
He pledged to support businesses to thrive in the territory in any way he can for the progress of the FCT while noting that the focus of the current administration was to improve the ease of doing business and create a conducive environment for businesses to grow.
“One of the major policy statement that the President made in terms of taxation and revenues, is that we should not tax the seeds, but we should tax the fruits and this demonstrates his commitment to enhance ease of doing business” he stated.
Ango also stated that the Service would be improve on its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to give back to businesses and communities across the territory.
He said, “The FCT-IRS as a tax authority will now be visible in the area of CSR. We can go to the market, plazas and offer assistance by improving their facilities in order to have a conducive environment. In doing this, they will understand that we are not only coming to take from them but to also give to support their businesses”
Ango said the Service under his leadership was mapping out strategies to promote voluntary compliance by the taxpayers adding that, in taxation voluntary compliance was the best form of compliance.
He thanked the ACCI team for the visit and assured them of his support and continued collaboration by the Service to promote business activities in the FCT. The chairman however harped on the need to maximise the relationship to guarantee mutual benefits between the two organisations.
Oh his part, the President Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) Chief Emeka Obegolu, congratulated the FCT-IRS Chairman on his appointment and expressed gratitude for the historical support the Service has rendered, emphasizing the positive impact on business opportunities.
He said “the ACCI as you know is the voice of the private sector in the FCT our major mandate is to advance the ease of doing business in the FCT and advocate for policies of government that will support it. We work with four focal centers in ACCI.
“The first is the national chambers of commerce dispute resolution center, it is a center established within ACCI with mandate to promote effective dispute resolution in commercial disputes. Second is the national chamber of commerce dispute which serves the business community in the FCT and we believe that with the appropriate policies of government it can serve in tax dispute resolution.
“We also have the Abuja trade center with mandate to organize business to business meetings with trade missions, trade fairs and generally to promote commerce within and outside the FCT. We have the BEST center which is the Business Enterpreneurial Skills and Technology center of the ACCI.
“This center serves to train skilled workforce for the business entities in the FCT what we do is to conduct a survey of the needs the workforce needs of FCT businesses and tailor skills training to support those needs and the last center is the policy and advocacy center which is the arm of the ACCI that advocates continuous engagements with legislature and government parastatals to promote ease of doing business”.