The chairman and chief executive of Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, Tunde Fowler, has replied the query issued him by the office of the Chief of Staff to the President headed by Abba Kyari.
Recall that Mr Kyari had written to him, demanding explanations as to why the revenue collection shrunk from N14.5bn, collected between 2012 to 2014, to 12.6bn, collected between 2016 to 2018.
In a letter dated August 19 and addressed to Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, Mr Fowler agreed that the overall tax collection between 2012 to 2014 was higher than what was collected between 2016 to 2018.
He, however, said that the low inflow of oil revenue was as a result of fall in the price of oil and reduction of crude oil production in the country.
According to him, while FIRS management has control over non-oil revenue collection, oil revenue collection figures are subject to more external forces.
He, however, said that under his watch, the non-oil revenue collection grew by 1.3trn – ie. 21% from 2016 to 2018.
Mr Fowler explained that out of the N14.5trn revenue collected between 2012 to 2014, oil revenue accounted for N8.3trn or 57.28%, while non-oil accounted for N6.2trn or 42.72%.
While during the 2016 to 2018 period, out of the N12.6trn revenue collected, he said oil revenue accounted for N5.1trn or 40.65% and non-oil revenue collection accounted for N7.5trn or 59.35%.
