Mr Ibrahim Mijinyawa, the Director Payee, Sokoto State Internal Revenue Service, said about N41 billion has been collected as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from 2017 to 2019 in the state.
Mijinyawa disclosed this at the Stakeholders’ Periodic Reflection and Action Meeting on Tax Justice and Gender Responsive Public Service and Breaking Barriers project in Sokoto.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the project is anchored by two Non-Governmental Organisations, Rural Women and Youth Development (RUWOYD), and ActionAid Nigeria, supported by Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD).
Mijinyawa said the law was enacted and assented by Gov. Aminu Tambuwal on Dec. 31, 2019, which established the present Sokoto State Internal Revenue Service replacing the defunct Sokoto State Board of Internal Revenue.
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He noted that the agency was bestowed with full autonomous financial and administrative powers as well as allocated with five per cent of the collections for operational activities.
”The 1988 laws were revised that reviewed the rates, takes care of modern automation comprising internal system platforms that will tackle leakages and enhance online payments,” Mijinyawa said.
He said the law allowed the establishment of tax tribunal, a single account and refilled obsolete laws of revenues charges as well as collectable sources.
He said state and local government revenue committees were established to discuss revenue issues, provide solutions on tax challenges and seamless activities.
According to him, the effort is in accordance with modern transformations which are suitable and relevant to existing best standard practices.
He added that three consultants have already been engaged in remodelled activities while public engagements and enlightenment drives were designed in order to achieve maximum success.
Mijinyawa noted that the present International Public Service Accounting Standard (IPSAS) adopted by the state government would surely harness revenue activities as public participates on budget preparations, monitoring and implementation by the system.
”The defunct Revenue Board strived on enhancing revenue collections as in 2017 it realised N9 billion, N13 billion in 2018 and N19 billion in 2019 indicating steady increased.
”The present development will surely redouble collections with transparent dealings and expanded collectable windows.
“The agency has government mandates of obtaining sufficient revenue toward enhancing social lives, infrastructure development and enhances overall government activities,” Mijinyawa said.
The facilitator, Mr Joseph Julius, said the aim of the project was that all children, especially girls and marginalised children have access to free, quality, publicly-funded, inclusive education.
Julius explained that the effort is geared towards ensuring that governments take actions to increase the size of national budgets by rising fair tax particularly corporate tax.