The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has examined the current reforms in the Federal Internal Income Service (FIR) and praised the agency, so it described as significant progress in its central duties.
A senior economist in the Department of Fiscal Affairs of the Global Corps, Paulo Paz, gave the recommendation on Wednesday for the opening of the Mission of the headquarters supported by the IMF at the Income House in Abuja.
Paz said that the IMF recognized the “good job that FIRS has been providing citizens,” under its president, Zacch Addeji, added that the Bretton institution would continue to support the agency in the delivery of an effective fiscal administration for the growth and development of the country.
A statement by Dare Adekanmbi, a special advisor in the media to the president of FIRS, said that the IMF team mission to Nigeria was to explore areas that the organization could further support the agency to address the challenges that could arise, particularly with recently signed fiscal laws.
According to him, the new tax laws will have a new impact on Nigeria.
“And we want to know how we can support it better with this new challenge. Our version of the four fiscal laws is first a recognition of the very good work that FIRS has been providing to citizens.
“You have recognition and new responsibilities with these very powerful laws that will increase the relevance of the tax administration in Nigeria.
“I want to express our honor of being here and being a partner of FIRS. Thank you for your confidence in our Council. We congratulate you for the good results so far. There are more to come, and we are here to help,” he said.
Addedeji, while welcoming visitors, applauded the IMF for traveling with the tax agency, saying that the relationship would continue when the agency travels to the Income Service of Nigeria (NRS) next year.
Addedeji, who was represented by his chief of cabinet, Tayo Koleosho, specifically praised the IMF collaboration with FIRS in the portfolio management and fulfillment program.
He said: “The IMF has made this trip with us, and I think we are in a good place to continue the trip together. We are working together in digital transformation, VAT automation, even looking at the fulfillment program and the ability to automate some of those things.
“I am interested in the corporate plan and the link of the management of the data portfolio so that our strategy dissolves in those manageable tasks. It is very important that these things are fine.”
In her own comment, Mrs. Bolaji Akintola, coordinator director, Corporate Services Group, explained that the IMF has been a critical part of FIRS's trip towards the reforms of the fiscal system aimed at improving the mobilization of national income.
She said FIRS, with the support of the IMF, carried out two systemic evaluation exercises using the Diagnostic Evaluation Tool of the Fiscal Administration (Tadat) between 2018 and 2023.
“Each of these exercises was followed by a mission after Tadat where a reform roadmap was developed to address the systemic weaknesses that were discovered by the evaluation.
“The fact that the results of 2023 Tadat showed a significant improvement in those of 2018 is indicative of the commitment of the service towards institutional excellence,” he said.
“Let me assure you that if another Tadat is carried out today, the result will be better than that of 2023 because a good number of the weak indicators of the 2023 performance evaluation report has been addressed, and some have been coded in the four fiscal reform laws recently signed by President Bola Tinubu,” he said.