The Growth and Empowerment in States (GEMS3), a DFID funded programme in Nigeria, has expressed its determination to support Kogi Government to reposition its tax system through new payment mechanisms.
Mr Mark Abuh, the Tax Adviser, GEMS3 in Kogi, said this at a retreat organised for members of the state House of Assembly on Tuesday in Abuja.
Abuh said the retreat was aimed at harmonising a new law on the rates and levies collectable by the local government councils in the state.
According to him, GEMS3 is intervening in the state’s tax system to help reduce multiple taxation and tax burden through a state-wide harmonised bill.
The tax expert said that the intervention was also aimed at improving collection and monitoring of taxes through advanced payment systems which included the use of Point-of-Sale (POS) machines.
Abuh said that another way of monitoring tax collection was through “direct lodgment’’ where tax payers have the opportunity to pay their taxes directly to the government’s account.
He said GEMS3 was also assisting the state to build the capacity of the local government revenue staff and improve transparency in tax transactions in the state.
Abuh said that the organisation had also replicated same in states like Kano, Lagos, Kaduna and Cross River where the use of POS had been deployed for tax collection.
According to him, 49 POS machines have been introduced for the collection of levies and charges in Ejigbo Local Government Council of Lagos State in January.
He said this had increased the council’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
Abuh said that the organisation was working with some local government councils in Kogi to agree on the list of taxes, rates and levies through dialogue.
He also said that GEMS3 would facilitate the standardisation of tax collections across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to help improve the state’s IGR.
According to Abuh, GEMS3-Kogi state partnership will increase the incomes of more than 234,487 people, create more than 11,300 additional jobs and reduce tax burden on 193,000 enterprises by 2015.
Mr Gabriel Daudu, Chairman, Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Kogi House of Assembly, said that the harmonised bill would create a conducive environment for tax payment and collection.
Daudu said the bill was a progressive one that would create an environment conducive for businesses to grow and create jobs for people in the state.
“If the environment is conducive for people to do business, they will have the capacity to pay taxes without revoltIing.’’ (NAN)
© anu for Royal Times of Nigeria Newspaper, 2014. |
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