Nasarawa stops cash payment of tax, others

The Executive Chairman of Nasarawa State Internal Revenue Service, Ahmed Muhammad, has said that cash payment is no longer acceptable in the state’s revenue collection.

He told The Guardian in Lafia yesterday that the decision to move the revenue payment system from cash to electronic was to plug leakages and ensure effective monitoring.

According to him, one way people pilfer the state’s coffers is through cash transactions; hence the need to introduce a central billing system.

“We have switched from cash payment to what we call the e-payment system, using the central billing system. No more cash payment of revenue. With this system, we can monitor every payment centrally.

“This has helped to improve the state’s revenue generation tremendously, since the introduction of the e-payment system,” the chairman stated.

He, however, urged tax-payers to pay into the state government’s account through banks, Remita, Interswitch, and other electronic devices.

Explaining that all agencies and consultancies engaged in the collection of revenue for the state would be sensitised to operate in line with the new policy, Muhammad noted that the service, under him, would give incentives to some tax-payers to cushion the effect of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

He added that some tax-payers were allowed to make staggering payments pending stabilisation of the economy.