By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has put together a Memorandum of Association to end the squabble among three professional bodies.
The professional bodies are the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), and the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN).
The FIRS Executive Chairman Muhammad Nami while addressing the two bodies in Abuja on Monday revealed that the feud on tax practice started since 2004 among the three professional bodies.
He said “following the disagreement and various court disputes since 2004 to date, between ICAN, ANAN and CITN on issue of Tax practice, it became necessary that FIRS under my leadership should intervene by inviting the three sister professional bodies for amicable resolution”.
The FIRS boss stated that the signing of the MOU is meant to provide an atmosphere in which the bodies are meant to operate seamlessly to support what FIRS does and also contribute to the improvement of the Country’s position on the ease of doing business index.
Nami noted that “this is the very first time, ICAN, CITN and ANAN are coming together on one platform to affix their respective hands and seals to a document, affirming their commitment to the growth and development of tax administration, compliance and practice in Nigeria”.
The FRIS boss said that the professional bodies and the FIRS are important in the accounting and taxation processes stressing that “taxation is a multi – professional field that needed the support of its component parts like a car to achieve the optimum output”.
He encouraged ICAN, CITN and ANAN to explore other areas of synergy amongst the bodies like, Joint councils, standardization of academic syllabuses and examinations, training, mutual observer statuses at AGMs and paper contributions amongst other areas.
President of CITN, Dame Gladys Olajumoke Simplice during her goodwill message said “APBN Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria has waded into this and we’ve all been going one step forward and five steps backward.”
She explained that siblings do quarrel and at the end of the day come together and that is what is happening today.
In her address, the ICAN president Dame Onome Joy Adewuyi pledged that “ICAN will respect that wish. I only pleaded with you that as much as possible sir, let every body’s interest be recognized in this matter”.
