FIRS boss seeks stronger relationship with development partners

Muhammad Nami, Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), says Nigeria is seeking stronger relationships with development partners to promote and improve tax administration.

This is contained in a statement issued by Mr. Johannes Wojuola, Special Assistant to the Executive Chairman on Media and Communication, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday.

Nami, who is also the President of the Commonwealth Association of Tax Administrators (CATA), on Friday visited the Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) Secretariat at the United Kingdom’s Treasury House for a meeting on tax administration.

The statement said that the CATA President and his team were briefed on the governance structure of CATA and the current efforts by the association to serve the common interest of member nations.

He promised to achieve the short and long term goals and objectives of the association before his three-year tenure ends.

Nami also held a bilateral meeting with Miss Antonia Strachey of the Public Finance and Tax Department, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), on issues of mutual benefit to the revenue authorities of both countries.

NAN recalls that the FIRS boss was unanimously elected on Oct. 12 by the 47 member countries of CATA at the association’s General Meeting as its 15th President.

CATA is an accredited association of the Commonwealth, established in 1978 in London to promote the improvement of tax administration in all its aspects within the Commonwealth with particular emphasis on developing countries.

Nami was accompanied by Mr. Olufemi Olarinde, Nigeria’s CATA Country Correspondent, Mr. Johannes Wojuola, his Special Assistant on Media and Communication, and Mr. Jibrin Salihu, Personal Assistant to the Executive Chairman.

The meeting was attended by UK Government Tax Authority representatives, including Fiona Hay, Head, Capacity Building and International Relations, Mahtab Hashim, Capacity Building Unit, and Jasmine Taylor, Director, Senior Leadership Programme.