The Enugu State Internal Revenue Service (ESIRS) has attributed the sustainable increase in the state’s Internally Generated Revenues (IGR) to the well-thought-out measures adopted by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s administration.
Speaking during the taxpayers’ sensitization and enlightenment programme, organized by the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service (ESIRS), in conjunction with the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), held at Enugu, the Chairman of ESIRS, Prince Emeka Odo, disclosed that the state government “has been implementing a cocktail of measures designed to make tax payment easier for tax payers in the state”.
The chairman stated that the event, which also witnessed the investiture of the State Accountant-General, Sir. Paschal Okolie, as Chairman, Enugu and District Society, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, was to deepen the relationship between the tax authority and tax payers.
Odo noted that Ugwuanyi’s administration has been implementing “an ambitious four-point development agenda” aimed at positively impacting the lives of the people and stressed that such feat requires that government harnesses all the potential sources of internally generated revenues in the state without additional pressure on the people.
The chairman added that it was in the light of the above that the agency in conjunction with other related agencies of government embarked on the programme for effective result.
He disclosed that the revenue generation measures adopted by the state government include, early adoption of Treasury Single Account (TSA) platform for accounting system, direct bank lodgment system, restructuring and strengthening of the revenue agency, automation of all revenue generating MDAs, vigorous tax payers’ enlightenment programmes in the media and streamlining of overlapping laws to address the issue of multiple taxation.
Odo who revealed that voluntary tax compliance in the state has been on the increase as a result of the state government adopted measures, added that “it has also reflected positively on the IGR figures of the state which has risen progressively from about N14 billion in 2016 to N22 billion last year”. He said that “the figure for this year is expected to be much higher than that of last year”.
On her part, the Commissioner for Finance, Mrs. Adaonah Kene-Uyanwune, pointed out that tax matters are collective responsibility aimed at generating more revenues to the state for rapid development and socio-economic growth.
Maintaining that tax administrators, practitioners and payers are major players in taxation, the finance commissioner stressed that without taxation government will not meet up with its obligations to the public.
Mrs. Uyanwune stated that the era of focusing attention on oil as major source of government revenue is over, enjoining the public to always pay their tax for them to continue enjoying meaningful developments.
She, therefore, applauded Gov. Ugwuanyi for his untiring efforts in repositioning the state Internal Revenue Service as well as the revenue agency for achieving an enviable landmark in revenue generation for the state.
In his acceptance speech, the newly inaugurated Chairman of Enugu and District Society, CITN, Sir. Okolie, appreciated members of the body for finding him worthy to serve and promised to discharge his duties diligently and with the fear of God.
“I would like to thank the entire members of Enugu and District Society for unanimously choosing me to superintend over the affairs of the district at this time, without rancour”, he said.
