The Enugu State Government, on Tuesday, said that it had harmonised collection of taxes and levies in order to check tax multiplicity and leakages in the area.
The Senior Special Assistant to Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on Revenue Generation, Mrs Adaonah Uyanwune, disclosed this in an interview in Enugu on Tuesday.
“Harmonisation of taxation even from the federal level, most state governments are being sensitised now, not only to look at it as an option but an obligation to the people that we’re serving.
“You can’t pay double taxation for the same thing; the first thing is to harmonise those taxation.
“There is enumeration in place and this enumeration is not just being done by the government officials.
“We are outsourcing certain things to vendours to help government to be able to do that, because you have to spread your tentacles everywhere to begin to drag people to the tax net.
“By the time you do a dual enumeration of these tax payers, you are able to access them properly and know what taxes are due to be levied on them.
“So that in that way you won’t get recalcitrant clients, who say why are these people coming to me all the time.
“So, what we do is one person collects for everybody and internally we know what belongs to local government and what belongs to the state and all that.
“What (state) government wants eventually is voluntary compliance to tax and levy payment.’’
Uyanwune said that the harmonisation had lessened the burden of spending more time and going to multiple tax collection points in making payments.
She said that the state’s IGR team had embarked on a state-wide aggressive tax payment enlightenment and sensitisation.
She said that every working or trading person above 18 years would be
captured into the tax payment system.
Uyanwune noted that in recent time there had been improvement in IGR collection of the state; which had made it possible for government to meet various obligations to the citizenry.
She said that the state had continued to experience dwindling allocation from the monthly federation account.
She, however, said Gov. Ugwuanyi had maintained strict financial discipline by exploring new channels of generating funds to sustain government’s obligations to the people.
“We still believe we can improve to enable government to continue to carry-on with its welfare package to the citizens such provision for security and construction and re-construction of roads both at the capital city and rural areas simultaneously.’’
According to her, government will provide daily potable water, maintain functioning street and traffic control lights and provide free and compulsory maternal and child health care as well as
immunisation.
