The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) on Thursday opened talks on three crucial areas both agencies could explore to mitigate financial tax frauds and other corrupt vices.
Sealing during a courtesy visit to the FIRS headquarters in Abuja, ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu SAN, stressed the need for effective collaboration between the two agencies to deepen mutual cooperation and synergise efforts for greater impact in the anti-corruption drive.
A news release signed by ICPC spokesperson, Mrs Azuka Ogugua, made available to Tribune Online informed that Dr Aliyu said his visit to the FIRS headquarters was aimed at discussing three areas of collaboration that would help the cause of tackling corruption, most especially the ones that were tax related.
The ICPC boss said there was a need for both organisations to share information with a view to detecting potential tax-related corruption.
According to Dr Aliyu, “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 organisations and integration of technology.
‘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.”
He said the second area of collaboration was joint investigation and legal reforms since corruption occurred at times in form of tax evasion, adding that capacity building was the third area.
“The second area is the issue of joint investigation and legal reforms. This is an area which the ICPC and the FIRS need to come together because we know that sometimes corruption also come in 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 programmes jointly for members of our staff and organisations to enhance our skills and knowledge in detecting and preventing corruption which is related to the issue of tax system in this country, Ogugua quoted the ICpC chairman to have said.
She added that Aliyu, who also advocated for a cross-agency committee that would be reviewing and addressing the critical areas of partnership, promised that ICPC was one hundred percent ready to give the FIRS the needed support in the interest of the country’s development.
Responding, the Executive Chairman of FIRS, Dr Zacch A. Adedeji, expressed delight about ICPC’s visit and the expression of interest to help the revenue-generating agency tackle tax-related frauds in Nigeria.
“I am hopeful and optimistic that we will collaborate effectively, and I am particularly delighted that with your support, our enforcement mandate on tax matters will improve.
“We will also develop a framework and we will use technology to do so and I believe you are a ready-made partner for us in the area of revenue generation and the progress, not only for individual agencies but for the federal government as a whole,” he said.
. TheWitness
