FIRS trains 150 companies on online tax return filing

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) on Thursday trained over 150 registered companies and other stakeholders in Enugu on how to file tax returns online.

The theme of the programme was “2021 Stakeholders Sensitisation/Training Workshop on TaxPromax.”

Speaking at the event, the Tax Controller, Micro and Small Tax Office, FIRS, Enugu, Mrs Stella Obiora, said this had become necessary to limit the time people waste visiting its offices across the country.

She said the name of the online platform to be used in filing the returns was Promax.

“We decided to organise this special training so that stakeholders will know how to go online and file their processes on company account,” she said.

She noted that the transition from manual to digital filing would enhance collections.

She, however, added that similar training was ongoing across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.

“Every other tax offices in the country is expected to educate tax payers that operate within their jurisdiction on how to do it online.

“It is my expectation that at the end of the programme, the processes will be seamless without issues,” Obiora said.

She charged  them not to corrupt FIRS staff who might visit them for any issue but urged them to channel whatever issues they had to the office.

“If I notice that you compromise my staff, your company will pay dearly for it,” she added.

The controller also urged them to submit their withholding tax deductions before July 31 for credit notes and possible claims.

A participant, Mr Austin Irem, said the unstable nature of the internet connectivity made it difficult to use the application.

“In the very beginning, one spent 30 minutes working on the portal without achieving anything,” he said.

Irem expressed satisfaction over the training saying it would offer practitioners and the users of the platform an opportunity to know more and create an awareness for those who are new in it.

Victor Onovo said he found it extremely difficult on the treatment of capital reliefs brought forward as the workshop had helped him.

Those in attendance include: company representatives, partners, stakeholders, tax auditors and consultants.

They were trained mainly on Value added Tax, Withholding Tax and capital allowance online filing.