NIPOST, FIRS at War Over Stamp Duty as Finance Act Empowers Tax Agency
- The Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service are at war over who collects Stamp Duty in Nigeria
- While NIPOST says it is empowered statutorily to collect the stamp duty, the FIRS said its is not the same thing as Postage Duty
- The NIPOST staff said they have taken the Nigerian government to court over what they called the usurpation of its duties by FIRS
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The dispute over who collects the stamp duty between the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Nigeria Postal Services has degenerated into a court case.
The two agencies of government have taken each other to the cleaners over should collect the stamp duty in Nigeria.
Source: UGC
Controversy generated by Finance Act
Prior to the signing of the Finance Act by President Muhammadu Buhari, NIPOST has been saddled with the responsibility. The new Finance Act has reversed it and gave it to the FIRS.
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The two agencies are, however, empowered by law to collect and account for stamp duties in Nigeria.
There had been a cold war and sometimes public fight between the two Federal Government agencies over who is empowered by the law of the land to assess, collect and account for the stamp duty charge.
NIPOST staffers protest 'usurpation' of powers
The staff of NIPOST under the aegis of the Senior Staff Association of Statutory Charges and Government-owned Companies (SSASCGOC), a member of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has flayed the federal government for handing over the role to the FIRS.
The association called the move a usurpation of its powers and asked Buhari to reverse the Finance Act, saying the move could jeopardize about N15,000 jobs.
Buhari should reverse Finance Act, NIPOST staff say
During a briefing in Abuja by the Union, the ex-national president of the SSASCGOC and TUC’s National Treasurer, Mohammed Yunusa said it has sued the Nigerian government over the issue.
According to Yunusa, the federal government has been notified about the Finance Act. He said the Act has given the functions to NIPOST, a branch of FIRS.
Last year August, the board Chairman of NIPOST, Maimuna Abubakar, in a tweet thread indicted the FIRS for not only stealing is ideas but also surreptitiously adding its patent and its document into the the Finance Act.
Recall that in August 2021, the Board Chairman of NIPOST, Maimuna Abubakar, in a series of tweet posts accused the FIRS of not only stealing the postal agency’s mandate but also stealing its ideas by sneaking its patent and every other thing in its documents into the Finance Bill and removing the name of NIPOST.
FIRS Official who fraudulently received over N300m in travel allowance gives up N104m property to court
Legtt.ng reported that Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Commission (EFCC), has obtained an interim forfeiture of two properties worth about N104 million to court which belongs to Aminu Sidi Garunbaba who is a staff of the Federal Inland Revenue.
The EFCC, through its lawyer, Ekele Iheanacho brought an application in accordance with Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act of 2006.
The presiding judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja division granted the order on Wednesday, February 16, 2022, as he ruled on the application.
Source: Legit.ng
