Governance
New Taxporta Platform Set to Transform Tax Administration
The Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) has launched Taxporta, a new digital tax management platform, as part of efforts to simplify tax administration and improve compliance.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ engagement with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) held at the National Assembly Library Trust Fund Complex in Abuja, the Executive Chairman of FCT-IRS, Mr.
The engagement was organized to sensitize MDAs on the implementation of Nigeria’s 2025 tax reforms, encourage voluntary compliance, obtain first-hand feedback from participating agencies, and eliminate multiple taxation.
Ango explained that Taxporta is an upgrade of the agency’s existing digital infrastructure, designed to deliver faster, safer, and more efficient services to taxpayers.
According to him, the initiative aligns with the Service’s digital transformation agenda and enables taxpayers to complete virtually all tax-related transactions without physically visiting FCT-IRS offices.
He noted that Taxporta is a fully integrated self-service platform through which taxpayers can register, file tax returns, calculate tax liabilities, make payments, generate receipts, and obtain Tax Clearance Certificates (TCCs) without requiring third-party assistance.
“Of course, we have a digital agenda. Any serious institution, whether in the public or private sector, has to move with the times. In essence, this is a continuation of our digital innovation process to ensure that taxpayers can do everything they need from the comfort of their homes or offices without having to interact with us physically,” he said.
Ango further explained that the platform has been configured in line with the provisions of the new tax laws, allowing taxpayers to input their income while the system automatically calculates tax liabilities, applies statutory allowances, processes payments, and issues receipts and tax clearance certificates.
“All the allowances provided under the law have been imputed into the system. Essentially, you are only going to have to put in your income; all of the rest of the work, things like tax clearance, payments of taxes, and all, will be done on the portal.”
He expressed confidence that the new platform would strengthen revenue generation and enable the Service to surpass its annual revenue targets.
“Our focus, as always, is to ensure that we collect the maximum tax. If I tell you that we are focused on 400 billion or 500 billion, at the end of the year we may do 600 billion.”
On enforcement, the FCT-IRS Chairman emphasized that the Service would continue to prioritize voluntary compliance rather than sanctions.
“The law has already provided timelines for penalties, but I don’t like to focus on penalties when I talk to taxpayers because it makes it seem as if you are just waiting to impose punitive measures. For us, the first line is always voluntary compliance.
“Even when people or government agencies are not able to comply, if there is a valid reason, we are always willing to give an extension of time. It is only when we discover that a taxpayer has become recalcitrant or is willfully refusing to comply that we can begin to talk about penalties.”
Ango also explained that the FCT-IRS occupies a unique position as both a Federal Government agency and an agency of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, making collaboration with MDAs critical to effective revenue administration.
He said the stakeholders’ engagement was designed to ensure a seamless transition from the previous platform to the upgraded system while strengthening partnerships with government institutions.
According to him, improved tax compliance would support the ongoing transformation of Abuja by providing increased funding for infrastructure and public services.
Highlighting the importance of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), Ango noted that the FCT depends largely on tax revenue to finance infrastructure and development projects.
“The reality is that the FCT, as an institution, is only funded, apart from the IGR, by one per cent of the allocation to the Federal Government. So in a month in which the Federal Government gets, for example, 600 billion, the FCT will only get six billion naira from the Federation Account. There may be some Value Added Tax, and then the bulk of the funds that the FCT is able to access comes from its IGR.”
In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of the National Assembly Library Trust Fund, Hon. Henry Nwauna, described the engagement as a strategic initiative aimed at strengthening collaboration between government institutions and tax authorities.
“This engagement is strategic. It reflects the commitment of government institutions to strengthening collaboration, deepening mutual understanding, and promoting compliance with tax obligations in support of sustainable national development.”
Nwauna stressed that stronger cooperation, transparency, and accountability among MDAs and tax authorities are essential to improving revenue generation and financing national development.
Also speaking, the Tax Controller, MDA Tax Office, FCT-IRS, Fatima Abubakar, urged MDAs and taxpayers to comply with the provisions of the 2025 Nigerian Tax Reform Acts to avoid penalties.
She explained that the sensitization focused on the Nigerian Tax Administration Act (NTAA) 2025 and other new tax reform laws, covering tax registration, filing of returns, assessments, and issuance of tax clearance certificates.
Abubakar emphasized that every taxable individual, business, and government institution must obtain a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) and comply with tax obligations under the new legal framework. She added that proper understanding of the jurisdiction of tax authorities would also prevent revenue losses resulting from incorrect remittances.
She further appealed to all MDAs to remit employers’ tax deductions promptly, warning that the tax authority is empowered to automatically register taxpayers and generate TINs using their National Identification Numbers (NINs).
According to her, under the new tax reform, taxpayers are expected to pay taxes not only on salaries but also on every benefit and allowance received from their offices.
“All benefits in kind and cash are taxable because they are perks of the office, e.g. five per cent of the value of an official car, and one hundred thousand naira fine for incomplete tax filing in the first month, and fifty thousand naira for subsequent months.”
She also advised agencies awarding contracts to vendors to request their Tax Clearance Certificates before awarding contracts or risk paying a five million naira fine.
One of the participants, the Manager in charge of Tax at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Mr. Mohammed Ali, commended the FCT-IRS for organizing the engagement, describing it as a commendable initiative that would strengthen collaboration between the tax authority and taxpayers.
According to him, the engagement would boost stakeholders’ confidence and promote transparency in the discharge of the Service’s responsibilities.
“I think it’s worthwhile. I think it’s very important, and we really appreciate the tax authority for organizing such an engagement. I think it will boost stakeholders’ confidence as well as show a high level of transparency in the discharge of their functions.”
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