Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has allayed the fears of the citizens who have been expressing concerns about the new tax regime which kicks off Wednesday, saying the government was just intensifying efforts to increase the state revenue base.
Governor Ajimobi said that it became imperative to reiterate that the tax drive was not meant to create hardship for the people, adding that, the government was only blocking the loopholes affecting the state’s economy.
Speaking through the Commissioner of Information, Culture and Tourism, Toye Arulogun, on a live programme on Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) South West broadcast station, the governor said that government wasn’t introducing new tax laws, but enforcing those laws that had been in existence and backed by the constitution of the country.
According to him, “What we are doing is backed by law. We are not introducing a new thing, we are only trying to enforce payment of tax through our Board of Internal Revenue (BIR).
“We have met with associations and market leaders intimating them of government’s improved tax drive and they showed readiness to cooperate with us during the engagement”, he said.
He also noted that “Some citizens are law abiding and they pay their taxes, levies and duties when due but some have decided not to. It is the civic responsibility of every citizen to pay tax.
“Over the years, we have not been fully enforcing the tax laws in the state. Most States of the federation were comfortable with the revenue from the federal government, but now that the economy is dwindling, we have to look inward and increase our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). I assure you that we are not going to create unnecessary hardship for the people,” he stressed.
While expressing government’s empathy with corporate bodies, associations, market men and women and individuals on the high cost of living in the nation, Governor Ajimobi posited that the increase in revenue generation would lead to increase in developmental projects in the state, saying that, salaries and allowances of government workers would adequately be taken care of as well.
He said that the inter-ministerial committee on the IGR drive would commence its scheduled visit to companies, Small, Medium, Large Enterprises and the informal sector within the state to make demands on their tax payment evidence in the last three years.
He therefore called on industries, and establishments in the state to co-operate with government officials who would be going round to carry out this assignment, adding that, government’s calculated steps at making life meaningful for residents, through the judicious use of tax collected from them would be achieved.
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