Oyebanji seeks improved internal revenue generation
CHIGOZIE AMADI
Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, has restated his government’s commitment to building a self-sustaining economy where the state can fund its recurrent expenditure without over-reliance on federal allocation.
Oyebanji said his administration was strengthening the state’s revenue generation capacity to enable it to fund the recurrent expenditure through internally generated revenue without inflicting pains on the citizens.
The governor, who spoke on Saturday while inaugurating the new Ekiti State Internal Revenue Service Area Tax Office in Ikole Ekiti, described opening the new tax office as “a strategic initiative to decentralise revenue collection and ensure efficiency in tax administration and a step towards achieving the goal of making the state less dependent on federal allocation.”
He lauded Ekiti IRS for its effort in increasing the state’s revenue base as he urged the agency to intensify its sensitisation campaigns to educate residents that payment of tax is their civic duty.
“The funds generated will be used to provide critical infrastructure and improve the standard of living in the state.
“Our target, by the grace of God, is that we should be able to fund our recurrent from IGR. We should be able to pay workers’ salaries from IGR. If we are able to fund our recurrent with IGR, whatever comes from Federation Accounts Allocation Commission we can use for development; that’s the target and it is doable. I am happy that the little you are paying, you call all see what we are doing with it in the state.
“We have done a lot to the glory of God. We have been able to activate those promises either in education, agriculture, health, infrastructure, governance and human capital development.”
The EKIRS Chairman, Mr Olaniran Olatona, said the use of public funds effectively by the governor had fostered trust and compliance among taxpayers.
“The various ongoing developmental projects across the state have made it easier to convince residents to pay their taxes, as they can visibly see the impact of their contributions,” he said.
The IRS chief called on Ekiti people to put more efforts at embracing their civic duty by paying their taxes promptly and regularly.
