Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara state has threatened to punish any tax evader in the state, as he targets N60 billion annual tax collection for the state.
Speaking at the commissioning of office of Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS), Revenue House, in Ilorin on Monday, the governor also said that four revenue courts had been established in different parts of the state to try and sanction those found guilty of tax evasion and avoidance.
"We cannot aim for tax-driven prosperity and economic advancement while refusing to fulfil the obligations that create those standards we aspire towards", he said, adding that the state government would deal with anybody found obstructing the work of the KWIRS.
The governor, who said that 19 northern state governments generate only 15 per cent of their revenue requirements Internally and depend on Federal Allocation for the rest, added that the situation was no longer sustainable.
"The truth is no state can lay claim to self-sufficiency or deliver the required social good for citizens without an effective tax system.
Clearly, it is only through significant Internally Generated Revenue that Kwara state can be viable and self-sustaining", he said.
Governor Ahmed also said that monthly allocation of the state had dropped from an average N3.4 billion to N1.4 billion monthly, adding that the development had led to a N1billion deficit in recurrent expenditure every month and left little for infrastructure.
"Yet, the state government requires N2.4b for workers’ salary alone", he said, adding that it had become imperative for the state to wean itself from the Federation Account and, as a matter of urgency, identify new sources of revenue or become innovative in the mode of collecting revenue from existing sources.
The governor also said that the KWIRS had been mandated to mobilize revenue, block leakages and expand the state’s revenue base with a monthly target of N5 billion and a target of N60 billion annually.
Also speaking the executive chairman of the revenue service, Murtala Awodun, said that the set target was not built on any form of increase in taxes, but more on blocking the leakages.
Awodun said the revenue drive would be through the Treasury Single Account and Electronic Revenue Management System, adding that the process with new General Receipts, Motor Licence Certificates, Tax Clearance Certificates and Consolidated Vehicle documents had been changed with more security devices.
http://tribuneonlineng.com/ahmed-threatens-to-jail-tax-evaders-targets-n60b-yearly
lalasticlala

#60billion annual... Jail ke... It is well

The Gov is really angry with tax evaders.