Date: 2017-01-30

Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara has charged Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the state to embark on prompt collection of taxes to boost its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

The governor gave the directives on Sunday at a breakfast meeting with heads of the MDAs in Ilorin.

He said the move became necessary in view of the fact that fund from the Federation Allocation was dwindling and could no longer sustain payment of salaries and other infrastructural development.

"We must begin to see the areas of tax collection and tax deployment to carry out development as very key to what we have to do as a people. I am happy to see that the MDAs are already standing up to their responsibilities.

"In the past when revenues seemed to be adequate from the Federation Allocation, very little attention was given to tax collection.

"But today, it is obvious that if we want good things to happen and want government to stand to its responsibilities, then we must play our role in ensuring that taxation, fees, commissions and fines are adequately collected by MDAs," he added.

Earlier, the guest lecturer, Professor Abiola Sanni of the University of Lagos (Unilag) had charged MDAs to brace up to their responsibility of tax collection, adding that taxation remained the only sustainable means of running government in the country today.

In his remarks, Dr Murtala Awodun,the Executive Chairman, Kwara Internal Revenue Service, KWIRS, commended the State Government for making "significant progress" in its revenue drive particularly from the informal sector.

He also commended the state government for the introduction of Treasury Single Account (TSA).

Awodun, therefore, called for more support from all stakeholders to enable the service succeed.NAN