Onyeme Urges Informal Sector To Pay Tax


BY VINCENT ANIKWUSHE
THE Chairman, Delta State Board of International Revenue (DBIR), Sir Monday Onyeme, has underscored the need for Deltans especially those in informal sector to pay their taxes in order to shore up the revenue base of the state for accelerated development.
Onyeme stated this during Tax Justice Colloquium with the theme: Taxation: Challenges and Prospects of the Information Sector organised by Delta State Tax Justice and Governance Platform with support from Oxfam, NOVIB and Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) held at Labour House, Asaba.
Represented by Mr. Alexander Meteke, Chief Inspector of Taxes, Delta State Board of Internal Revenue, Onyeme maintained that payment of taxes “is a civic responsibility of the citizens”, adding that failure to pay tax or evading tax payment is against the law.
The DBIR boss pointed out that payment of tax was crucial and had become imperative, especially now that the revenue from oil was dwindling.
He said that government cannot perform magic to get money for development, stressing that the only option or alternative was the payment of taxes to shore up the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the State.

In her remarks, the State Coordinator, Delta State Tax Justice and Governance Platform, Barrister Bridget Anyafulu, said that the seminar, which was earlier held in Warri and Asaba tagged: Town Hall meetings, was to sensitise and create awareness on the need to pay tax by the informal sector.

Barr. Anyafulu who is also the Chief Executive Officer, International Centre for Women Empowerment and Child Development (ICWECD), Asaba, opined that when citizens pay their taxes, they have the right to demand for accountability and question how their taxes were being utilised by the government.
The participants which included market women, keke riders, NGOs, CSOS, NUJ, TUC, NLC, NUT, faith based organisations, advocated harmonisation of payment of taxes to avoid multiple-taxation.