The Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, on Thursday denied claims made by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation that it had illegally deducted and failed to remit N210bn into the Federation Account.
The Executive Chairman, FIRS, Babatunde Fowler, disclosed the development to journalists during the third annual meeting of the Nigerian Tax Research Network, in Abuja.
Mr Fowler said his agency did not know where the Auditor-General of the Federation, Anthony Ayine, got the information.
According to The Punch report, “an audit report signed by Ayine, on Wednesday, and released by the OAGF stated that out of the N6.4tn generated by revenue collection agencies in 2017, about N1.5tn was deducted and not remitted into the Federation Account in violation of the provisions of the Constitution.”
Mr Fowler said the report stated that the FIRS generated N2.66tn but paid about N2.45tn into Federation Account, which implied that the service deducted and failed to remit N210bn.
Responding to the agency’s reason for deducting the said sum, Mr Fowler said: “I don’t know where he (Ayine) got that information from because all the revenue that we generate goes to the Federation Account. We collect our monthly revenue during FAAC.
“And that happens the same time that states, local governments and agencies collect their own revenue. So maybe we’ll have to talk to him and let him explain how that’s possible.”
