Failure to dialogue with the business community has been identified as the major stumbling block to effective tax remittance in Kano state.
The State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, stated this on Wednesday while briefing newsmen shortly after the Kano State Executive Council meeting.
The governor said that many years had passed since many people refused to pay tax because of lack of proper awareness about the benefit of doing so, and the prevailing belief that government usually squanders the money paid as tax, without developing key infrastructure.
He said the belief was gradually changing as the state internal revenue service was conducting dialogue sessions with the business community in the state to enlighten them about the benefit of paying their taxes as at when due.
Ganduje said that, in a session conducted on Tuesday, the state internal revenue service made it clear to the business community that it was from the money remitted as tax that the state government would meet its campaign promises and meet the needs of the masses.
While appealing to the residents of the state to cooperate with the government and pay their taxes, he said appropriate actions would be taken against anyone, including corporate entities, who fail to pay their taxes accordingly.
In the same vein, Governor Ganduje said the Northern Governors’ Forum has decided to contact the Islamic Development Bank with headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in order to open doors for Arab countries to invest the in Northern states in the country.
To that effect, each of the three geo-political zones in the North has already appointed a governor to represent their interest.
While the North West is represented by Jigawa Governor, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, the North Central is represented by Nasarawa Governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, and North East by Adamawa Governor, Bindo Jibrilla.
The representatives as well as the Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, and his Kano counterpart, Ganduje, will make up a contingent to a meeting with the bank in Jeddah.
Ganduje appealed to residents of the state to cooperate with the state government in the job of moving the state forward.