Governor Godwin Obaseki has reiterated that Edo State Government is desirous of improving its tax administration process to cushion the effects of the dwindling resources from the federation account on residents.
Governor Obaseki made this known when he received the President, Chairman and members, Governing Council of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), in Benin City.
Receiving the CITN President on behalf of Edo State Governor, at the Corporate Head Office of the Edo State Internal Revenue Service, (EIRS), former commissioner of Finance and present Chairman, Taskforce on Internally Generated Revenue, and “Fellow” of the CITN, Hon. John Inegbedion said: “Edo State is desirous of improving its tax collection.”
He noted: “The issue of taxation has come to the front burner now in the light of dwindling resources from the federation account.
“In the past as a country, we were delivered by the revenues coming from sale of crude oil.
“Taxation is what every society survives on. Today as a country, we can see we cannot survive without taxation. So we are going back to the basis of governance which is all about taxation- people paying taxes on economic activities and necessary transactions that attracts the appropriate taxes.”
He pointed out, “In the past the rich never used to pay taxes. But today, every state is waking up to focus on taxation. That implies that as professionals which the CITN represents, our skill and service is now more than ever required to be rendered both to government as well as the general populace by educating them on the tax laws, the proper procedure to pay taxes, what taxes should be paid and how to compute them.”
Earlier in his address, the fifteenth president of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, Adesina Adedayo, showered encomium on the Government of Edo State for the landmark developmental strides achieved so far. He commended Godwin Obaseki for sustaining and improving the business friendly environment, improved revenue generation as well as empowerment of the Edo State Internal Revenue Service.
To achieve more excellent performance in revenue generation, the CITN’s president sued for a full financial and administrative autonomy for the state internal revenue service. He further appreciated the Governor Godwin Obaseki’s immense support of the activities of the Benin and District Society of the CITN over time.
Adedoyin further informed the Edo State Governor of the institute’s plan to visit the internally displaced persons camp –Home For The Needy Foundation at Uhogua, Edo State as part of CITN’s corporate social responsibility and activities to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the tax institute.
He mentioned the institute’s plan to hold its 24th Annual Tax Conference scheduled for 17th and 20th May, 2022 with the theme: Global Disruption Taxation and Digitalization: Implications For Social Economic Development.
