The Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) have initiated discussions on three critical areas that both organizations could look into to reduce financial tax fraud and other corrupt vices.
Naija News reports that the ICPC Chairman Dr. Musa Aliyu, SAN, emphasized the importance of effective collaboration to strengthen mutual cooperation and synergize efforts for better impact in the anti-corruption drive during a visit to the FIRS Headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.
The ICPC chairman, in his speech, said that the main focus of the courtesy visit to FIRS was to talk about three potential areas of cooperation that could aid in the fight against corruption, particularly in the area of taxation.
Aliyu said, “First of all, there are three critical areas which we need to look at. First to consider is the issue of sharing information between the two organizations and technology integration. We need to set up a structured process of regular information sharing between us so as to detect potential corruption or fraudulent activities in tax-related matters.
“You have the expertise on tax and we have the mandate of preventing corruption, so I believe effective collaboration would help to identify and tackle the fraudulent practices in the system.
“The second area is the issue of joint investigation and legal reforms. This is an area in which the ICPC and the FIRS need to come together because we know that sometimes corruption also comes in the form of tax evasion and other means of fraud.
“Then the last is the issue of capacity building, which is very important because no organisation can perform its function effectively without the support of the government. We can come together to train or organise programs jointly for members of our staff and organisations so as to enhance our skills and knowledge in detecting and preventing corruption which is related to the issue of the tax system in this country.”
The FIRS Chairman, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, on his part, expressed his delight with the ICPC’s visit and showed interest in aiding the revenue-generating organization in combating tax-related crimes in Nigeria.
