Tax Appeal Tribunal Adopts, Launches E-Filing, Case Management System

The Co-ordinating Secretary of the Tax Appeal Tribunal, Oniyangi
Hajara Esq, on Tuesday, launched an e-filing and case management
system to improve justice delivery in the Tax sector.

The application manages the entire case process, from the point
of filling to the point when the case is decided with the
integration of a digital platform for the payment of necessary
fees.

As part of the reforms of the tax system in Nigeria, Tax Appeal
Tribunal (TAT) was set up by the Federal Government to adjudicate
on all tax disputes arising from operations of the various Tax Laws
as spelt out in the Fifth Schedule to the FIRS (Establishment) Act
2007.

Pursuant to the Tax Appeal Tribunals Establishment Order 2009,
TAT was established in eight cities to cover the six geo-political
zones namely: Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan, Benin, Enugu, Kaduna, Jos, and
Bauchi, and a Coordinating Secretariat located in Abuja.

The Coordinating Secretary said the adoption of the electronic
filing system was a calculated effort to improve access to the
tribunal and to mitigate any obstacles associated with justice
delivery that the essence of the tribunal as the first point of
call on tax disputes do not warrant any delay.

“The main reason of adopting e-filing for the tribunal is for
people to be able to have access to the tribunal within the comfort
of their homes or their offices not necessarily having to travel
many kilometers to file tax matter.

“Taxation is the central part of modern public finance. The
importance of taxation arises from the fact that it is by far the
most significant source of government revenue and is therefore the
primary means of financing government expenditures.

“If there is an issue of taxation that is hanging, you know it
is not good for our nation and that is why we have adopted this.
More fundamentally, for us as an institution, we must leverage
technology to build public trust and confidence in Nigeria Tax
system

“The software deployed captures every litigation process with
enough flexibility from start to finish. We are proud for taking
the lead among others and we advise other tribunal and superior
courts to adopt this technology for the sake of the administration
of justice.” she explained.

Oniyangi noted that tax tribunal cannot be insulated from the
digital revolution, especially as technology development continues
to advance, the law and justice system should not be frightened of
it.

The event was witnessed by the Tribunal Secretary, Management
and judicial staff; and questions were asked from the IT
consultant, 4tune Technologies team lead, Fatai Abiodun who
explained the workings and the flexibility of the software in the
clearest terms.

The litigants can now file their matter/process via the secured
online platform. https://etat.ng^[1]

The Co-ordinating Secretary of the Tax Appeal Tribunal, Oniyangi
Hajara Esq, on Tuesday, launched an e-filing and case management
system to improve justice delivery in the Tax sector.

The application manages the entire case process, from the point
of filling to the point when the case is decided with the
integration of a digital platform for the payment of necessary
fees.

As part of the reforms of the tax system in Nigeria, Tax Appeal
Tribunal (TAT) was set up by the Federal Government to adjudicate
on all tax disputes arising from operations of the various Tax Laws
as spelt out in the Fifth Schedule to the FIRS (Establishment) Act
2007.

Pursuant to the Tax Appeal Tribunals Establishment Order 2009,
TAT was established in eight cities to cover the six geo-political
zones namely: Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan, Benin, Enugu, Kaduna, Jos, and
Bauchi, and a Coordinating Secretariat located in Abuja.

The Coordinating Secretary said the adoption of the electronic
filing system was a calculated effort to improve access to the
tribunal and to mitigate any obstacles associated with justice
delivery that the essence of the tribunal as the first point of
call on tax disputes do not warrant any delay.

“The main reason of adopting e-filing for the tribunal is for
people to be able to have access to the tribunal within the comfort
of their homes or their offices not necessarily having to travel
many kilometers to file tax matter.

“Taxation is the central part of modern public finance. The
importance of taxation arises from the fact that it is by far the
most significant source of government revenue and is therefore the
primary means of financing government expenditures.

“If there is an issue of taxation that is hanging, you know it
is not good for our nation and that is why we have adopted this.
More fundamentally, for us as an institution, we must leverage
technology to build public trust and confidence in Nigeria Tax
system

“The software deployed captures every litigation process with
enough flexibility from start to finish. We are proud for taking
the lead among others and we advise other tribunal and superior
courts to adopt this technology for the sake of the administration
of justice.” she explained.

Oniyangi noted that tax tribunal cannot be insulated from the
digital revolution, especially as technology development continues
to advance, the law and justice system should not be frightened of
it.

The event was witnessed by the Tribunal Secretary, Management
and judicial staff; and questions were asked from the IT
consultant, 4tune Technologies team lead, Fatai Abiodun who
explained the workings and the flexibility of the software in the
clearest terms.

The litigants can now file their matter/process via the secured
online platform. https://etat.ng^[1]