News Bulletin

...and Mashi Takes On The Baton

Ag.ECFIRS promise changes in the Service
By Babarinde Ola Joe

Staff

(A Publication of Communications & Liaison Department)

April 2012 Vol 1

AG. ECFIRS, Alhaji Kabir Mohammed Mashi

Mr President has appointed Alhaji Kabir Mashi as the Acting Executive Chairman; of the Federal Inland Revenue Service to play that role is not an easy task because he is the Chairman of the Service as well as the Chairman of Joint Tax Board. These words from the former ECFIRS Ifueko Omoigui Okauru signaled the end of an era and the beginning of another as Alh Kabir Mashi was officially unveiled as the Acting Chairman of the Service. The former ECFIRS stated this during a special meeting with the

directorate cadre in the Service to officially mark the end of her tenure. The thunderous applause that trailed this announcement was suggestive of the erstwhile CD/SSG`s acceptability by the FIRS family. In his acceptance speech, the Ag. ECFIRS displayed humility and appreciation to God for an opportunity to serve the nation. He recalled his initial encounter with the former ECFIRS which he said was challenging as all Management staff made conscious efforts to understand her modus operandi, but as time passed by they all reached

perfect understanding. As a sign of commitment to Service, Ag. ECFIRS said I shall be fair to all, I will create time to attend to all staff challenges so that we can all leave the Service better than we met it. The Ag. ECFIRS' commitment to the Service was also reflected in his special goodwill message to members of staff, when he stressed that we shall continue to uphold the ongoing reforms within the Service we shall continue to uphold the vision, mission and the core value of FIRS. He encouraged Staff to stay fo c u s e d t o a c h i e v e t h e i r respective KPIs, he also enjoined those with low KPI rating to brace up and do better, because Management is not interested in disengaging any one from Service. As he commended the Service for the superlative collection performance of 1.17 trillion for the first quarter, he explained that activities in the Service will be performance driven, as such it is the expectation of Management that all hands must be on deck to help the Service achieve the set goals.

April, 2012 Vol 1.

FIRS News Bulletin

FOG Brainstorms on Taxes

as Ag. ECFIRS makes inaugural appearance
s the Service prepares ground to generate more revenue in 2012, the Registration, Returns and Filling Programs Department, had a strategic workshop to draw a road map to assist the Service in fulfilling its collection objective. The two day event which was held at Chelsea hotel Abuja, th on 18 and 19 of April, 2012 drew participants from Standards and Compliance group across all FIRS/FCT offices. The event was flagged off by the Acting

Wapinu Ndule

Ag. ECFIRS and Management Staff gather for a group photograph after the

Executive Chairman, Alhaji Kabir Mashi, who made an inaugural speech as the Ag. ECFIRS. He stated that the event was timely as it affects the important areas of the Service especially the Personal Income Tax which was recently amended and passed into law. He also stressed that M a n a ge m e nt i s awa re o f t h e challenges of staff and is ready to assist staff achieve their set target. He enjoined staff to familiarize themselves with the amended PITA 2011 as this provides a platform for improving the overall tax administration. There were four papers presented at the event which addressed various areas of tax administration. Board member, Dr. Mike Abani represented by Mr Opanike Moses, gave a presentation on: 'Overcoming Tax Evasion and Avoidance in Capital Gains Tax'. Mr Oyedele O. of PWC professional Services delivered a paper on 'Capital Gain Tax: Applicable Strategy to Realizing Optimum Revenue Collection'. Other papers presented were:

A cross section of participants the event.

' E n f o r c i n g Ta x L a w s i n t h e Administration of Stamp Duties for Maximum Revenue Yield' presented by Ag. CD/S&CG Andy Ejemeyovwi and 'Key issues in Enterprise and Personal Income Tax administration', presented by D/I & E, Mr P.A. Olayemi. The program was rounded off with syndicate sessions that provided a platform for practical discussions and applications of the papers. Participants shared ideas on how to maximize the amended PITA, requirements for administering a modern Stamp Duties and checks and sanctions against evasion of capital gains tax.

Ghana Revenue Authority Visits FIRS

By Oladapo Babatunde n an effort to promote bilateral interactions on tax matters, the Ghana Revenue Authority on April 19th, 2011 sent delegates from Ghana to the Federal Inland Revenue Service. The delegates who were received by the Ag ECFIRS Alhaji Kabir Mashi, we re m a d e u p o f G R A A s s i sta nt Commissioner of Custom Isaac Crentsil, Head, Public Relations, Ministry of Finance, Ghana, Cecilia Isabella Akwete and Isaac Yaw Yaboam, from the GRA Policy and Planning Department. According to the head of the Ghanian delegation, Isaac Crentsil, the visit to the FIRS is predicated on the need to solicit Nigeria Support for the upcoming West African Administration Tax Forum, WATAF. The conference which is expected to hold between the 2nd and 4th of May, 2012 focuses on Indirect Taxes. It is on this premise that Nigeria`s technical support is required due to the experience gathered by the FIRS on the introduction of VAT to the Nigeria Tax system.

The contingent from Ghana Revenue Authority at the meeting with Ag.ECFIRS

Ag.ECFIRS Alh Kabir Mashi receiving documents from GRA .

The sub-regional gathering is jointly hosted by WATAF, GRA and the International Tax Investment Centre.Speaking further, Centsil acknowledged the pioneering efforts of FIRS in the sub-regiona body towards harmonizing tax practices in West Africa. While responding, the Ag ECFIRS Alhaji Mashi commended the bridge building efforts of the GRA which he described as exemplary. He however stated that he would be unavailable for the conference due to coincidence of another official engagement. He also stressed that this will not affect the participation of FIRS, because the Service would be represented by capable hands at the conference and every needed support would be rendered to ensure the success of the programme. Also speaking in same light, Director Large Tax Department Abuja, A.J. Bamidele expressed delight on the visit of the GRA contingent. He stressed that this will further enhance the existing relationship between the two tax authorities. The delegation also visited the Comptroller General, Nigerian Immigration Service before departure.

April, 2012 Vol 1.

FIRS News Bulletin

I am Excited About The New FIRS Structure -D/MOD

By Ayorinde Aghede
We have taken a lot, probably much more than we can chewbecause something happened and we realized we needed to initiate projects and this made our projects to overrun, because we were not prepared for them . These words summed up the view of the Director Modernization, Chiaka Okoye on various projects in FIRS, in a recent interview with the Bulletin crew of Communications and Liaison Department. The D/MOD further explained that the rush for projects to close the gap on lost time also created the challenge of getting competent Project Managers. It is on this premise that D/MOD expressed her joy on the new FIRS structure. She stated that this has given the Project Management Office the deserved recognition . According to her, expert Advisors had complained about project teams report channel which slowed down the progress of the projects. With the new structure, Modernization now has the Office of the Coordinating Director, who represents the PMO at the Management level. when the new structure was announced, I was very excited ,we now have projects as part of Service KPI and a Coordinating Director who has to be on my case instead of the other way round and now the project teams report to the PMO which is the proper thing, she said. Speaking further on how to ensure the buy-in of Leadership at all levels, the D/MOD explained that it is the expectation of Management that various departments take ownership of different projects; this explains the decision to discourage the use of consultants. She said for instance HCM is developing implementation bill for SAP HR because they own it, while we manage it from the PMO, so the initial driving force are the Managers. Cultural change in the Service is an area that has received positive commendation from external stake holders, but the D/MOD does not share this line of thought when she said I see FIRS as fixed and unwilling to embrace changes. Initially when I joined the Service I come to work before 8:00 am, lock up the door by 8:15 and instruct all staff who are late to report to HCM to explain their reason for lateness, but I realized I was the only director doing this so I changed. She however stated that in the area of artifacts, staff have embraced changes, like dressing and display of ID cards, but she posits that there is much to be done especially in the area of core value. MOD training is one of the major trainings staff love to be identified with and the D/MOD would not shy away from the issue as she explained that all departments training needs have been captured. She acknowledged receiving complaints from staff on not being sent for training but she stressed that most trainings have specific areas of coverage. Most training interventions from ERGP perspective are tailored towards tax administration and tax audit. However there are miscellaneous training that we have captured for other departments this year, she explained Regardless of the recent achievements by the Service D/MOD maintains that there is huge uncovered ground and this explains her passion for the FIRS. She said I am very passionate about FIRS, because I see a lot that needs to be done. For the first time in my occupational career I see myself staying on this job beyond three years, which is the maximum number of years I have ever stayed in any organization.

D/MOD sharing her views with the Staff Godwin Bulletin crew Asuquo compressed.lnk

S O CSI AI A L OC L

D IDRI A R Y A Y

Abubakar M. Ribadu from North-East regional office,during his traditional marriage with his heartthrob Quraibatu S. Abubakar .

Asuquo Godfrey From North -east Regional Office dedicated his baby princess and celebrated one year in marriage.

Former miss Maureen A. Adun of Procurement Dept, sharing happy moment with her newly married husband, Eloho Adakpo.

For comments, feedback, and submission of inputs, please contact: Nneka Ifekuwuna - nneka.ifekwuna@firs.gov.ng or 08083708393
Ola Joe Babarinde - ola.babarinde@firs.gov.ng or 80830941384