CITN renews vision statement to widen horizon

To widen its corporate horizon, the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), has renewed its vision and mission statement, with the hope to pursue the actualisation of both with more vigour.

The body added that it is also planning to be a leading Institute in training world-class tax professionals. It explained that the planned tax academy would be developed to project the fundamental driving force of its vision, while it will engage all stakeholders with an inclusive mind-set and strengthening other capacity building programmes.

New CITN President, Dame Gladys Simplice, said this in her address during her investiture as the 14th president of the Institute over the weekend.

She said the tax academy will be repositioned in terms of capacity for a technically-driven alternative route to membership through intensive training for revenue services staff.

To admit lawyers into the Institute, she said they will go through extended period for pre-induction training to close the knowledge gap in their accounting and taxation.

On the international scene, Simplice, who is also the President of the West Africa Union of Tax Institutes (WAUTI), said the Institute will continue to push for inclusiveness and full membership of member states to broaden their horizon and development with the needed expertise in the sub-region.

The special guest of honour, Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Babatunde Fowler, said globally, the issue of taxation is already on the front burner where the profession is seen to be of importance than before.

While promising his support for the president, Fowler said Nigeria has attained the position where taxation can be recognised as a choice of destination.

Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Mrs Balogun, while congratulating Simplice, urged Lagosians to pay their taxes regularly for more infrastructural development in the state. Sanwo-Olu also promised to partner with the institute for development of the state.