The ongoing massive infrastructural development project in Anambra State can only be sustained if the state increases its internally generated revenue, IGR, through greater tax compliance.
The Speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Mr Somtochukwu Udeze, dropped the hint when he hosted members of the Tax Justice and Governance Platform (TJ&GP) on an advocacy visit to his office at the State Assembly Complex, Awka.
The visit is part of activities under the Tax for Service Project, which was implemented in partnership with the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) with funding support from Oxfam Nigeria.
According to Udeze, he is optimistic that the state’s internally generated revenue will continue to increase as the present administration sustains the massive infrastructural development across the state.
He called on eligible citizens to pay their taxes regularly as a civic responsibility and contribution to the state’s growth and development.
“People don’t just like to pay taxes and they might have good reasons for such apathy in the past. But we all can see that the current administration is doing well with the revenues collected.
“Most of the infrastructural development this government is doing is tied to the taxes the people are paying and that is why the government of the day has not borrowed any money. If the tempo is sustained, I believe that more people will start to pay their taxes,” he said.
The speaker extolled the Tax for Service implementing team for the intervention, which he noted contributes towards increasing the state’s internally generated revenue.
“Also, when you talk about generating 4.6 billion in January. When you look into it critically, you find out that probably over 1 billion naira was expended in generating what was generated. That’s another issue to consider. I am of the view that we can do much more than we are currently doing and that attention should be paid to the informal sector,” Udeze noted.
Earlier, the Executive Director of Social and Integral Development Centre and host of Tax Justice and Governance Platform, Mrs Ugochi Ehiahuruike, who led the team, briefed the Speaker that the project is targeted at improving tax compliance among citizens and increasing the state’s internal generated revenue (IGR).
She said they are now asking that attention be paid to the markets and that transactions within and around them be eased.
She said this would encourage the traders who belong to the huge number of people in the informal sector to join the state tax net.
She said; “From the 21 selected markets across the state, we discovered a long list of needs including solar power, borehole, intra-market roads, toilet facilities, fire trucks German flooring among others. We are of the view that when those needs are met across the markets, traders will be encouraged to pay their taxes and levies”.
She appealed to the Speaker to use his good position to get the government to prioritize the needs of the markets, which would boost the state IGR.
