—As newly amended tax harmonization law criminalizes their activities.
L-R: The Executive Chairman,KGIRS Alhaji Sule Salihu Enehe and some directors of the Service during the media interaction with journalists in kogi.
By Otori Ozigi.
The illegal collection of taxes in kogi state by individuals which poses a potential threat to security, has been criminalized in Kogi State, in a renewed drive to enhance Internally Generated Revenue,IGR in the state.
The Executive Chairman of the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service, KGIRS, Alhaji Sule Salihu Enehe, made this known recently in Lokoja, Kogi state, capital, in an interaction session with journalists.
He declared that the service had put in place security joint task force in the state, to clamp down on the activities of illegal taxes collectors who had become threats to the security of the state.
” We have written to all security agencies to help the service bring to a permanent end,the activities of these illegal taxes collectors”, he disclosed.
According to the Executive Chairman, the harmonization law, which criminalized multiple tax collection points, would enhance ongoing efforts to block areas of leakages in tax collection in the state.
Alhaji Sule expressed the optimism that the over N30,4b IGR projected for in the 2024 budget of the state would be realized by the service, assuring that concerted efforts were ongoing to meet the target.
The executive chairman stressed that areas of leakages were being blocked by the service in line with extant best practices.
He noted that the workforce had been trained and retrained to achieve higher productivity level in the service, while their welfare had been enhanced.
Recall that the service has been performing creditably well since the present Executive Chairman came into office, an appointment that attracted high commendation from stakeholders in the state.
The chartered accountant turned tax administrator was previously the Director of tax audit and compliance of the service,a background that helped shaped his sterling performance and service delivery in his present position.
Recall that fewer than N18b IGR was posted in 2022, while over N23b was realized in 2023,a development was unprecedented in the history of the Service.
Since his assumption of office, Alhaji Sule has been leveraging on technology and human capital development to reposition the service for optimal performance and tax payers compliance.
In view of the above,tax payers in Kogi State are now willingly coming forward to file their tax papers, without any prompting.
This positive development is attributed to the enabling environment put in place by the highly resourceful, innovative and result-oriented Executive Chairman.
Indeed, better days are ahead for KGIRS under the watch of Alhaji Sule Salihu Enehe,an astute manager of human and material resources.
He has proved so far the full benefits of his pedigree as a transformational and quintessential tax Administrator with a knack for achieving excellence in service delivery.
Otori Ozigi ,a veteran journalist and PR Consultant, writes from, Okene, Kogi State.
