-BY SUNNY A. DAVID / AWKA:
In a bid to meet Governor Willie Obiano’s monthly target of five billion naira revenue generation, the Anambra State Internally Generated Revenue Service says it has concluded plans to explore modern ways of tax drive in the State.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Anambra Board of Internally Generated Revenue Service, Dr. David Nzekwu stated this while exchanging views with newsmen in Awka.
According to Dr. Nzekwu, the Service is working to automate the system and ensure that every taxable adult are brought into the tax net, stressing that they will engage the public by embarking on massive tax education exercise in the coming weeks, as the people that pay tax is still low.
Dr. Nzekwu, while pointing out that about two billion naira improvement on tax generation monthly is a clear indication that more Ndi Anambra are voluntarily coming to pay their taxes, revealed that they are adopting the strategy of enumeration of people and assets to create an automated billing system.
He further said that they will increase their conduct of periodic audit of agencies in the State as part of their mandate, calling on the public to reach out to them when in doubt or report suspicious and fraudulent agents to them for clarification, insisting that the proper channel for all tax related issues are their offices.
It would be recalled that during a recent IGR Retreat at the Gold Tulip Hotels, Agulu Lake, stakeholders in revenue generation and collection brainstormed to review and look at ways to improve the drive process.
During the retreat, Governor Obiano stressed that the State is underperforming in terms of revenue drive, and gave stakeholders a five billion naira monthly target.
