The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) says it?generated N3.81 trillion as revenue in nine months.
The FIRS made the claim on Sunday in Abuja via a statement signed by Mr Emmanuel Obeta, its Director of Communications.
“With this amount, the FIRS has surpassed the N3.6 trillion provisional annual budget estimate nine months into the year, with oil taxes recording N2.399 trillion and N1.406 trillion for non-oil.
“The collection represents increased revenue collection performance of about N890 billion,?when compared to the total collection of N2.91 trillion for the same period in 2011.’’
The statement said that the FIRS had so far collected and remitted the sum of N23.30 billion tax revenue due to the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) for the first nine months of 2012.
It said that the amount represented “Pay-As-You-Earn’’ (PAYEE) tax and Personal Income Tax (PIT) collected from FCT residents.
This, it added, reflected an increase in tax collection in the period, when compared to the N21. 94 billion remitted to FCTA for the same period in 2011.
“In 2011, the service recorded N955.19 billion tax collection in the first quarter, N985.30 billion in the second quarter and N974.65 billion in the third quarter,’’ the statement said.
The statement said that the 2012 figure represented a remarkable increase in tax collection, which comprised N1.172 trillion in first quarter, N1.267 trillion in the second quarter and N1.366 trillion in the third quarter?respectively.
It also said that the N23.30 billion so far remitted to the FCTA represented a considerable increase in FIRS’ collection and remittance, when compared to the N23.24 billion figure in 2010.
“A breakdown of the collection, from January to September shows that the sum of N2.027 billion was realised in January, N2.691 billion in February, N3.133 billion in March, N2.721 billion in April and N3.044 billion in May.
“The figure recorded in June was N2.221 billion, N3.055 billion in July, N2.463 billion in August, while N1.947 billion was generated as tax revenue in September.
“Remarkably, FIRS has taken steps to bring more potential taxpayers into the tax net through the establishment of Satellite Tax Offices (STO) across the FCT's major markets in 2012,’’ it said .
The statement, nonetheless, called for more collaboration and partnership among relevant stakeholders so as to actualise the service's determination to expand the country’s revenue base.
It said that part of FIRS' strategies was to improve taxpayer’s education and services, processes and procedures, while bringing tax administration closer to taxpayers in order to enhance voluntary tax compliance. (NAN)