Indebtedness: Lawmakers direct FIRS to produce MTN’s tax payment documents

*The Federal Inland Revenue Service informs the House of Representatives Committee on Finance, that MTN Nigeria is paying the taxes owed the Nigerian Government in installments

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

In view of the telecoms operator’s indebtedness to the Federal Government, the House of Representatives Committee on Finance in the National Assembly (NASS) has demanded the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to submit to it receipts of the tax payments by MTN Nigeria for 2007, and from 2010 to 2017.

It was gathered the legislators’ request came the House Committee on Finance observed during its interaction with the tax agency Wednesday, August 18, 2021, that MTN is indebted to the government tune of ₦451billion.

Nigerian House of Representatives

Mr. Muhammed Nami, Chairman of FIRS, however, informed the Committee that MTN is already paying the taxes owed the Nigerian Government in instalments, according to report.

Speaking during the interactive session on the 2022-2024 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP), Mr. Nami also unveiled plans for the introduction of Road Tax.

The FIRS Chief disclosed that the sum of ₦10.104trillion revenue is expected to be realised in the 2022 fiscal year, following the formal capturing of Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms into the country’s tax net.

Nami said: “On the issue of a digital economy, the FIRS has a department called International Tax Department which is handling such cases.

“Twitter and others are already registering with us. That is why in our revenue projections, we are raising it from N5 trillion in 2021 to N10 trillion in 2022. We expect the impact of those registrations to take effect.”