By Godfrey Bivbere

Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) is set to partner with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) in an effort to promote electronic payment of all collectable taxes.

Disclosing this in Lagos at a sensitization programme organised for clearing agents on the use of Tax Identification Number (TIN), National President of the ANLCA, Prince Olayiwola Shittu, said that this is necessary to curb the problem of touts who pose as intermediaries to extort money from unsuspecting public.

Shittu explained that they would commence negotiations with the management of FIRS to work out the modalities for using the association’s bi-metrics identity smart card for the payment of their taxes from the comfort of their office.

He noted that the card can also be used for payment of all duties and levies in the cause of clearing their consignments from the port. He, however, frowned at the attitude of most of the security agencies in the port whom he said encourage touting for personal benefit.

According to him, “Somebody who is a tout is more popular in the port than the man who owns  a license. That man is more popular because he is the one that can afford to take risk.”

In the past, he pointed out, ANLCA was the only association operating in the port and because they could not checkmate the activities of officers who were “short-changing the system,” some office got together and encouraged splinter groups which in turn has led to the monster of touting now witnessed at the port.

The ANLCA boss explained that four registered splinter groups and fifteen other unregistered groups have since sprang.