IGR: Ondo Govt. realises N10bn in 11 months

Mr Akin Akinsehinwa, Chairman, Ondo State Board of Internally Generated Revenue, (IGR), said on Sunday that the state generated not less than N10 billion between January and November.

Akinsehinwa, who disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Akure, said that the figure was 85 per cent of the amount targeted for the year.

He said that the state had to intensify efforts on IGR because of the dwindling resources accruing to it from the Federation Account.

“We have been swimming against the tide since January because of the drastic drop in amount we get from the federation account; this has adverse effects on the economy of the state.

“Being a civil service state, this has led to irregular payment of workers’ salaries and has hindered the flow of income to the board.

“When economic activities are not booming we are constrained to adjust and slow down a bit so that we do not put too much pressure on the citizenry,” he said.

According to him, the amount generated came mainly from government ministries, departments and agencies.

The chairman said that the board had re-strategised on how to increase government revenue by looking at other areas.

“The board is proactive and dynamic and we are looking on how we can generate more revenue. We started with vehicle registration in June and realised a lot from it.

“We have just started enforcing the Land Use Act enacted last year by the Ondo State House of Assembly.

“We have informed the various landlords’ associations and stakeholders’ meeting had been held in that regard. The full enforcement will start either this month or in Jan. 2016,” he said.

Akinsehinwa added that the state government had decided to set up a special court to try tax offenders.

He said, however, that the court had not begun sitting because government wanted to ensure that qualified and committed personnel were drafted to the court.

The chairman appealed to the people to endeavour to pay their tax, and warned that defaulters would be prosecuted.

“The era of tax evasion is gone and the era of aggressive tax drive is here; whoever that does not want a collision with government should exercise his/her civic duties,” he warned.