• Ekiti to start collection of Land Use Charge next month
• Taxpayers seek transparent utilisation of tax proceeds
Taxable adults in Ogun State have been urged to support the drive to grow the state’s Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR) by embracing voluntary payment of appropriate taxes as and when due.
Executive Chairman of Ogun State Internal Revenue Service (OGIRS), Olugbenga Olaleye, stated this while defending his agency’s budget of over N100 billion before members of the House of Assembly in Abeokuta.
Olaleye said citizens’ support for the current administration could only be manifested when they voluntarily pay their taxes to enable the government to embark on developmental projects that would benefit them, especially in areas that had not been harnessed to grow the IGR.
Olaleye and his team were commended for the achievements recorded so far, tasking them to work harder in the coming year to boost the IGR without relying much on federal allocations.
Similarly, the Ekiti State Government has announced its intention to commence collection of Land Use Charges in the state from January next year.
Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Tax and Revenue Matters, Ayodeji Adarabierin, made this known, at the weekend, during a one-day dialogue on Tax for Service in Ekiti State organised by the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room in partnership with the United Kingdom (UK) International Development.
Adarabierincalled for cooperation and collaboration of all stakeholders on the scheme for government to continue meeting its obligation to the citizens.
According to him, the new land use charge is a combination of the tenement rates, ground rent and property tax, adding that the tax is going to be progressive based on the type and cost of property of an individual.
In his remarks, Director-General, Ekiti Signage Agency, Adebisi Adesua, said that government would make payment of taxes seamless such that citizens could pay in the comfort of their homes.
However, taxpayers from the informal sector, urged the government to make tax collection and utilisation transparent, saying that communication about taxes is very poor.
