EKITI STATE GOVERNMENT STRATEGIZES WAYS TO EXPAND TAX NET, TARGETS N1.5bn MONTHLY, AS RIVERS STATE RAKES IN OVER N9bn MONTHLY

This report say the Ekiti State Internal Revenue Service (IRS) says it is seeking to expand its operational tentacles to be able to hit N1.5 billion target on a monthly basis.

Chairman of the Board, Mr MUYIWA OGUNMILADE said this in an interactive session with newsmen in Ado Ekiti.

He spoke on what steps IRS had taken to boost the Internally Generating Revenue (IGR) of the State after the recent “Ekiti Investment Summit 2021′, organised by the State Government.

MUYIWA said Governor KAYODE FAYEMI has been able to jack up the state’s revenue from N400m monthly in 2018 to N850 million without what he called “double taxation, without any burden, without and increasing taxes”.

He promised that: “I am just sure that Ekiti can generate N1.5 billion monthly. We are not over- promising. If we can do that, a lot of things will be easier for our state.”

He revealed that his agency succeeded in shoring up the state’s IGR through a process called ‘Tax Net’, where some of the business centres like hotels and schools operating in Ekiti without paying tax for many years, were registered and captured in the net.

The IRS boss in Ekiti State, Mr MUYIWA OGUNMILADE further disclosed that IRS in its determination to tackle tax evasion, also discovered about 150 car wash business premises in Ado, Ikere and Iworoko, adding the agency had given them their duebills, in order to raise the monthly revenue profile.

The Ekiti State Revenue generating agency Chairman stressed that the informal or shadow sector of the economy like: commercial motorcyclists popularly called Okada riders, tailoring, bricklaying and other associations are being properly structured, to be able to make adequate contributions to IGR.

According to him: “We have also introduced Land use charge, which is what you pay to government for built property. It used to be tenement rate. We are particularly happy because our people are cooperating in spite of the initial hitches.

“That was why I said we can do N1.5 billion. Tax is not optional. The most certain thing on earth is tax and death. The issue of double taxation doesn’t arise. We are effecting our tax policy implementation with human face.”

OGUNMILADE also noted that government is looking for ways to deepen its economic activities, by wooing investors and attracting establishment of more private universities and employment generating businesses to the State to increase tax payment.

“We are also looking inwards and revamping our moribund industries. For instance, Nigeria requires 1.7 million litres of milk to cater for daily consumption and only 30 percent is produced locally. This shows that we must work quickly on our Ikun dairy firm that we are doing with Promasidor Nigeria Limited because we will definitely have offtakers, if we produce that 10,000 daily.

“Let us look at how our economy will be, if an international brewery in our state. We are at the centre and we can easily supply Edo, Ondo, Kogi and Kwara States, where there are no breweries. That is why our elite must support us. We have a long way to go”.

OGUNMILADE informed Journalists that Governor FAYEMI has given the agency free hands and autonomy to operate independently to ensure efficiency in her operation.

“We can operate without being caged by civil service rules. The law for our autonomy has been signed. We now have the potentials to develop. Tax is not a punishment, it is not a burden. It was even mentioned in the Bible many times than tithe.

“Rather than for the citizens to be running away from tax or think that it is only when a government performs that they can pay, they should rather wait for election time to vote out any government that doesn’t use their taxes properly. They should learn how to use the weapon of election to effect change”.

Meanwhile, in Rivers State, it is alleged that the State Internal Revenue Generation (RIRS) generates over nine billion naira (N9bn) monthly under the currently administration of Governor NYESOM WIKE.

A source told Brave Views News desk that governor WIKE is able to execute many projects because of the whopping amount RIRS is generating monthly.

Chairman of RIRS, CHIBOSO AHOLU could not be reached to confirm the huge monthly revenues at the time of filing this report.