With over 40 million traders across the country, MATAN is a significant player in Nigeria's market space.

The collaboration between FIRS and MATAN was announced during a stakeholders' engagement program on the VAT DIRECT Initiative (VDI) held in Lagos. Mr. Johannes Wojuola, the Special Assistant to the Chairman of FIRS on Media and Communication, revealed the details of the partnership.

Under this partnership, FIRS will work closely with MATAN to leverage technology in enumerating traders for VAT collection and remittance. This will lead to an expansion of the tax net and generate increased revenue for the Federation.

The VDI program aims to foster collaboration between FIRS and the market, particularly the informal sector, in the collection and remittance of VAT using technology.

During the stakeholders' engagement, Mr. Muhammad Nami, the Executive Chairman of FIRS, emphasized the importance of the initiative for revenue generation and the elimination of multiple taxation, particularly in the informal sector. He expressed the government's concern about the proliferation of taxes and assured that FIRS, in partnership with the Joint Tax Board (JTB), is actively addressing this challenge.

The FIRS/MATAN partnership is seen as a significant step towards resolving the issue of multiple taxation and extortion by unauthorized tax collectors, agents, and middlemen in the marketplaces. Additionally, FIRS plans to collaborate with security agencies, particularly the Nigeria Police, to address illegal tax collection by unauthorized individuals in markets.a

“One important area of our collaboration is the issue of providing adequate security in the markets. We are aware of the challenges that you have faced in the past with miscreants, self-imposed tax collection agents, and touts.

“I want to assure you that as part of this initiative, we will be collaborating with the relevant security agencies particularly the Nigeria Police Force to tackle all forms of touting and illegal tax collection by miscreants and keep them away from your markets,” Nami said.