FIRS Chairman, Nami, Emerges CATA’s 15th President

• Pledges to tackle global taxation challenges

BY COBHAM NSA – Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Muhammad Nami, has been elected the 15th President of Commonwealth Tax Administrators (CATA) with a pledge to effectively tackle global challenges associated with taxation.

Elected on Friday, November 12, 2021, by the 47 member countries to run its affairs for the next three years, Nami brings to the CATA Presidency decades of experience in taxation and administration both in the private and public sectors.

In his acceptance speech read during the Forum’s virtual conference, the renowned tax administrator thanked all CATA members for reposing confidence in him by electing Nigeria to the Presidency, assuring that the position is a call to duty that will have him serving dutifully and shouldering the great responsibility that comes with the assignment.

The newly elected President said; “Your support is an honour that I do not take lightly”, adding; “I want to assure all members that I will work assiduously in delivering on the mandate of this office, and I will not disappoint you. It is a great privilege and I do not take it for granted.”

Nami, who is the former Chairman of the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) noted that with the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, taxation has become the mainstay for economies globally in providing required revenue to fund governance.

A statement by his Special Assistant, Media and Communication, Johannes Oluwatobi Wojuola, quoted the FIRS boss as saying; “Today, taxation has become the mainstay of every economy around the globe.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected the earnings of most economies, especially those whose revenue sources were fetched from activities such as recreational tourism, medical tourism, minerals exploration, commodity exportation etc.

“These activities were performed minimally, and in some cases even experienced total cessation due to physical restrictions imposed by many nations during the COVID-19 lockdown. Economies across the world have had no other choice but to look inward to taxation as the most viable alternative to provide the required revenue to fund the government.”

He said the COVID-19 lockdown has led to digital technologies transforming the way and manner humans interact and do business with each other, adding that the development has consequently brought about novel challenges for tax administrators.

For the new CATA President; “This new normal brought about a greater embrace of digital technologies that came with its own challenges for tax administrators. One of these challenges is the inadequate capacity of tax administrators to understand and track digitalised transactions which have become the order of the day.”

Nami, who served as Chairman of African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) up to November 2020, and is currently Chairman of the Joint Tax Board (JTB) in Nigeria, said notwithstanding the numerous challenges, his CATA’s presidency would witness effective mobilisation of member countries and other tax bodies to build the capacity of tax administrators in tackling existing and emerging challenges in the sector.

“I will work with the CATA Secretariat to effectively collaborate with other tax bodies such as ATAF, WATAF, UN, OECD, NTO, among others, in the area of training and sharing of experience of good and innovative practices in tax administration around the globe.

“One goal I hope to achieve as your President is to work hand-in-hand with member countries to expand the character of tax administration such that our work is in tune with today’s innovation and realities,” he said.

CATA was established following a decision taken at a meeting of the Commonwealth Finance Ministers held in Barbados in 1977. It had 23 founding member countries and has grown to 46 member countries today, making it one of the world’s largest bodies of tax administrators.

Since its inception in 1978, the Forum has focused on building and improving the capacity of its members. Additionally, CATA regularly hosts annual technical conferences and high-level training programmes, while maintaining strategic partnerships with various multilateral and international tax institutions across the globe.

Tax experts agree that over the years, CATA has played a critical role in the formulation of tax policies and procedures of its member countries.