The Federal Inland Revenue Service has called for stronger collaboration with the media to promote voluntary tax compliance among Nigerians, stressing that taxation is essential for national development.

The FIRS warned that without a deeper culture of citizen participation, tax enforcement alone would not deliver the country’s development goals.

Speaking at a one-day sensitisation programme titled “The Role of Media in Voluntary Tax Compliance”  in Kaduna the FIRS Executive Chairman, Zacch Adedeji, represented by his Technical Adviser on Broadcast Media, Arabinrin Aderonke, revealed that the media remained a critical partner in educating citizens and shaping public perception about taxes.

He noted that despite the importance of taxation, many Nigerians still viewed paying taxes as a burden or something to avoid, rather than a civic duty that drives national progress adding that the media has a key role to pl ay in building this trust.