The Federal Capital Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) says it will deploy artificial intelligence to facilitate voluntary tax compliance in 2024.

The acting IRS executive chair, Haruna Abdullahi, said this during the FCT-IRS end-of-year media briefing on Wednesday in Abuja.

Mr Abdullahi added that other technology solutions to be deployed include cloud computing, collaboration tools, business process automation and data analytical tools.

According to him, the goal is to improve the performance of routine tasks to encourage voluntary compliance and ease of doing business.

He explained that from inception, the emphasis has been on driving the service using technology, adding that the IRS invested in modern working tools such as hardware and software.

Mr Abdullahi said, “The service will further employ the use of technology to enhance operations mainly in compliance and enforcement. We will also seek to consolidate the culture of transparency and accountability in order to build trust and cooperation between the service and the taxpayers.

“The processes of registration, payment, receipt, assessment, Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC) issuance, filing of returns, TCC verification, and generation of withholding tax credit notes have all been automated.

“Also, to encourage voluntary compliance and to allow taxpayers to perform their tax obligations in the comfort of their homes or offices, the FCT-IRS introduced a Self-Service portal, www.fctirs.gov.ng. This enables taxpayers to request a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), file annual returns, make payments and request TCC.”

Mr Abdullahi added that the IRS would, in accordance with the tax laws, apply a penalty for non-filing of annual returns by January 31 of every year for employers and March 31 of every year for individuals.

According to him, part of the effort is to ensure compliance with filing returns. He added that a comprehensive reassessment of returns would be intensified, followed by constant monitoring and compliance exercises.

He mentioned that to comply with the ease of doing business initiative, the IRS would open more tax offices across the six area councils in FCT and at strategic locations.

Mr Abdullahi said this would ensure convenience for the taxpayers and further streamline services, making the tax offices accessible to a broader population and contributing to overall organisational growth.

Mr Abdullahi disclosed that from January 2024, the IRS would embark on intensive enforcement in line with the provisions of extant laws, adding that the agency would not only hesitate to prosecute tax offenders through the instrumentality of the law but would ensure that all tax due to FCT are recovered. 

(NAN)