Chairman, Joint Tax Board, Mr. Babatunde Fowler, has declared that the new National Tax Identification Number (TIN) Registration System and Consolidated Taxpayers’ Database will help engender a tax-friendly environment in the country and lay a foundation for less governmental dependence on loans, aids and grants.
Fowler, who is also chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), made the declaration yesterday in Awka during the South-East regional flag-off of the new registration system.
The New TIN Registration System, he said, improves on the efficiency and output of the entire tax administration process and provides enhanced convenience to the taxpayers as well as the tax administrators.
He added that the new system also guarantees that each taxpayer’s details are readily available every time and anywhere.
“A major feature of the new system is that it possesses the capability to integrate with all relevant agencies by leveraging on already captured data.
“With its ability to deploy analytics to discover underlying correlating trends and patterns, better visibility of the taxpayer is assured inherently leading to increased Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for all tiers of government.
“Thus, the new system reduces the burden of taxpayer information management, while at the same time significantly reducing the cost of collection,” Fowler said.
He explained that the system maintains the identification of an individual taxpayer by assigning of a unique and universal TIN, which makes possible for the taxpayer to view, retrieve or update his/her tax profile from anywhere and at any time.
The JTB Chairman commended revenue performances achieved by Anambra State and the whole of the South-East geo-political zone.
He noted that Anambra State revenue collections, which stood at N10.4 billion in 2014, have grown by 84.6% as at 2018, with a total annual collection of N19.3 billion collected as IGR for the year.
This positive trend, he added, is also set to continue in 2019 as half year figures for 2019 indicate a 22.9% growth over the correlating period for 2018.
He similarly noted that the performance of the South-East geopolitical zone also show encouraging growth trends as the cumulative collection of N77.31 billion for the year 2018 was a 16.66% improvement of the N66.27 billion collected in 2017.
“The year 2019 is looking quite positive as well as already, the sum of N42.98 billion has already been reported for the half year period. This represents an 18.1% growth over the N36.4 billion recorded for the half year period of 2018,” he said
Fowler also noted that over the last four years, the economic policies of the Federal Government have focused on establishing a stable foundation for further socio-economic growth and development.
These, he explained, have resulted in the expansion of the tax base from 10 million to 20 million taxpayers with the potential for an increase of up to 45 million before year end; exponential growth in the IGR collection at the sub-national level by 46.11% from N800.02 billion in 2016 to N1.16 trillion in 2018; and growth in FIRS collections by 53.81% from N3.30 trillion in 2016 to N5.32 trillion in 2018; with the 2018 total collection of N5.32 trillion being the highest collection ever.
According to him, the milestones also include rise in non-oil revenue, with a collection of N2.85 trillion accounting for 54% of total revenue collection; payment by the Federal Government of the total sum of N157.35 billion representing all outstanding PAYE tax liabilities owed by Federal MDAs to states from 2002 to 2016; with a total of N23.87 billion paid to the states in the South-East Geopolitical zone and consistent upward progression in the World Bank ‘Ease of Doing Business’ ranking, that saw the country move up 15 places in the recently released 2020 Report.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
