As part of efforts to capture more taxpayers into the state tax database, the Edo Styate Internal Revenue Service (EIRS) has organized a sensitization workshop for business men, women, artisans, trades and craft men in the state.
Addressing participants at the workshop, Efe Iserhienrhien, director, Tax Investigation of the EIRS said the sensitization programme was geared towards enlightening tax payers on their rights and responsibilities under the Personal Income Tax Act 2014 as amended.
Iserhienrhien who represented the Executive Chairman of the agency, Oseni Elamah observed that most taxpayers seemed to be ignorant of the provisions of the tax laws.
According to him, the sensitization programme is being organized to enable tax payers whose reason we exist as an agency to know their duties, obligations and rigts as enshrined in the various taxes and levies Acts.
Because most of them seemed to be ignorant of the provisions of the laws. Whereas, the law gives us the power to assess, collect and even enforce payments we will not want to go into enforcement without letting them know what they are suppose to do under the provisions of the law”, he said.
The director tax investigation said that the sensitization programme had earlier started with Heads of federal ministries, departments and agencies (FMDAs) operating in Edo State.
It will be recalled that Governor Adams Oshiomhole had in a recent forum in Benin City disclosed that only 150, 000 persons out of over four million population pay taxes in the state.
Oshiomhole said the state government plans to capture about a million population in to the tax database before the end of 2016 fiscal year and raise the revenue generation to about 3 billion monthly.