Fowler, FIRS Boss Not Under Investigation –Presidency

The Presidency has reacted to the reports making the rounds in some media outlets that the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mr. Babatunde Fowler, is not under any investigation.

In a statement on Monday signed by Mallam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media and Publicity), the President stated that the leaked letter from the Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari, on which the purported rumour of an investigation is based, merely raises concerns over the negative run of the tax revenue collection in recent times.

The statement reads in part: “Taking a cue from today’s (Monday) presentation of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Retreat for Ministers-Designate, Federal Permanent Secretaries and top Government Functionaries, which dwelt on an  ‘Overview of the Policies, Programmes and Project Audit Committee,’ a body he chaired, projected revenue of government falls behind recurrent expenditure even without having factored in capital expenditure.
“Consequently, it would appear that the country might be heading for a fiscal crisis if urgent steps are not taken to halt the negative trends in target setting and target realisation in tax revenue.
“Anyone conversant with Federal Executive Council deliberations would have observed that issues bordering on revenue form the number one concern of what Nigeria faces today, and therefore, often take a prime place in discussions of the body.
“It is noteworthy and highly commendable that under this administration, the number of taxable adults has increased from 10 million to 20 million with concerted efforts still on-going to bring a lot more into the tax net.

The media has been awashed with various reports that Fowler has been queried over the variance in the tax revenue with some insinuating that he might probably be sacked o or it.