The Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service has sought collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to enhance tax compliance in the territory.

FCT-IRS’s acting executive chairman, Michael Ango, solicited the partnership when he visited EFCC’s executive chairman, Olanipekun Olukoyede, in Abuja on Wednesday.

Mr Ango explained that the partnership was in line with the mandate of the FCT-IRS to collaborate with relevant agencies such as the EFCC towards improving tax compliance in Abuja.

He disclosed that one of the major initiatives of the FCT-IRS in 2025 was the harmonisation of revenue collection and administration in Abuja.

He said this would not be achieved without the support and collaboration of all stakeholders, including anti-graft agencies. He argued that most suspects being investigated by EFCC for financial crimes were not tax compliant.

Mr Ango added that it would be helpful if suspects’ tax obligations were also interrogated as part of EFCC’s investigation processes.

According to him, this approach can also be extended to the forfeiture of assets or monies of suspects to the EFCC by the courts.

“When suspects are being investigated or charged to court, we will like to know, Mr Chairman, their tax compliance level. If they escape from one door, we can catch them through another door.

“We will, therefore, be happy to partner with you on this, like we are doing with your sister agency, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit,” he stated.

The EFCC boss thanked Mr Ango and his team for the visit and expressed the commission’s willingness to partner with the FCT-IRS to improve revenue collection in Abuja.

Mr Olukoyede said EFCC had entered into similar partnerships with the Federal Inland Revenue Service and other state revenue agencies. He expressed the commission’s readiness to extend the same gesture to the FCT-IRS.

He said the move would enable the FCT-IRS to shore up its revenue collections. He, however, stressed the need for a memorandum of understanding to highlight the specific areas of collaboration, pointing out that MoU would further strengthen the relationship between the two organisations.

The EFCC chairman, who said he has been keeping tabs on Ango’s achievements since his appointment as the FCT-IRS boss, also lauded the ongoing massive infrastructural development in Abuja.

(NAN)