The Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) has announced that it will take over the collection of all revenues on behalf of the six area councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) starting in 2025.
This announcement was made by the acting Executive Chairman of FCT-IRS, Mr. Michael Ango, during the agency’s 2024 end-of-year media briefing in Abuja. According to Ango, the initiative aims to streamline taxpayer compliance, enhance transparency, and improve accountability in revenue collection across the FCT.
Ango stated that this move aligns with the directive of the FCT Minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike, and emphasized that the collected revenues will remain the property of the area councils. The FCT-IRS will act as a facilitator, ensuring efficient collection and aggregation before disbursing the funds to the respective accounts of the councils.
The agency also plans to harmonize revenue administration within the FCT. Meetings with area council chairmen have already been held, and they have agreed to collaborate on a unified revenue collection system.
Ango highlighted that the current practice of multiple agencies collecting revenues individually is not aligned with global best practices. Therefore, a single, centralized system for revenue collection and reporting will be established. This system will enable individuals and organizations in the FCT to pay taxes, levies, and fees at one central point, fostering better efficiency and accountability.
The harmonization is expected to improve the ease of doing business in the FCT and enhance the overall revenue management framework of the territory.
