Edo, Ekiti strategise to boost IGR

In the face of dwindling revenue from oil, Edo and Ekiti state governments have embarked on moves to raise their financial status and improve their Internally Generated Revenue.

Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has said all taxable adults, including corporate bodies must live up to their responsibilities by being alive to their duties to the government.

He also charged all federal agencies operating in the state to pay up taxes they are owing the state so as to avoid government action that might be unpalatable to them.

Besides, he tasked all persons, who bought plots of land as well as homes from the state government since 2003, but who were yet to pay up to do the needful within a reasonable period of time to avoid such facilities from being reclaimed from them.

The governor, who stated all these on Friday while featuring on a monthly radio and television programme, tagged “Meet Your Governor”, also said he deliberately refused to announce names of commissioners for the last eight months since he assumed office because of paucity of funds.

On its part, Edo state government announced the commencement and implementation of Presumptive Tax regime which targets the informal sector.

With this, it said that henceforth the engagement of contractors for the purpose of collecting taxes and levies from artisans, traders and drivers had been banned.

Against this backdrop, the state government said it had disengaged the services of Akugbe Ventures and others who were responsible for collection of levies from commercial drivers in the state on behalf of the state government.

Chairman of the Edo Internal Revenue Services (EIRS), Chief Oseni Elamah, who disclosed this at a press briefing on Friday in Benin City, said unions like the Road Transport Employers Association, Drivers Welfare Scheme and National Union of Road Transport Workers were also barred from collecting union dues on the highway.

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