Kogi Govt’. Flags off digital Infrastructures Maintenance Levy collection, warn defaulters.
ATABOR JULIUS LOKOJA.
Kogi State Government on Monday in Lokoja flag off the implementation of the digital Infrastructures maintenance Levy collection from tricycles and motorcycles operators across the state.
The Governor, Alhaji Usman Ododo, represented by the Secretary to Government of kogi state SGS , Mrs Folashade Ayoade Arike said the collection is in line with the law establishing the Kogi state Internal Revenue Service to shore up the revenue base of the state.
Governor Ododo emphasised the importance of the digitisation of the collection to avoid leakages and to enable the expansion and maintenance of infrastructures in the state .
He noted that the digitisation of the revenue base is to fast track seamless development of infrastructures and welfare and well-being of the people stressing that the economic realities have placed a burden on the state to think within and outside the box to accomplish her responsibilities to the citizenry.
He added that the collection of the levy using modern technology was not intended to over burden the tax payers but a departure from the analogue method to a digital system that will ensure ease of payment and to promote accountability and transparency.
He disclosed that while the state revenues is not growing correspondently with the huge demands on government, the need to ensure that all taxable items are captured becomes necessary in order to bring development to all sectors of the state.
He called on the riders to demand their receipts after payment to avoid being caught by the law.
In a remark, the chairman of KGIRS, Alhaji Sule Salifu Enehe reiterated the commitment of the government to providing and to render best services to the people, saying the government can only achieve its objectives by effective and efficient collection of taxes and levies.
He said, the IML being flag off today was not new to the motorcycles and tricycle riders, but a departure from manual methods to which they were accustomed ,to a modern method that guarantees easy payment .
The Chairman disclosed that prior to the 2016, the state used to earn about #350M internal generated revenue per annum, but was able to raise the revenue generation to about #23bn, the feat that has enabled government to deliver its mandates to the people.
He urged the leaderships of the Transport Unions in kogi state to educate their members to embrace the new method to avoid running foul of the law.
In the same vein , the Commissioner for Transportation, Atuluku Victor Levi, commended the government for the novel innovation that has propensity to improve the revenues of the state
He pledged , his ministry’s commitment to work in synergy with all the stakeholders to realise the laudable intention of the government.
In their separate pledges, the chairman of NATO, Okada Riders’ Association and NURTW pledged to advance advocacy and enlightenment of their members , so as to ensure hitch free collection of the levy.
Recall that the IML was hitherto being collected by the Roads transport Unions which put doubts on the accuracy of the collections.
