Reciprocate Soludo’s Infrastructural Devt with Improved Tax Compliance – Anambra Speaker

By Praise Chinecherem

Speaker, Anambra State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Somtochukwu Udeze has called for regular payment of taxes by eligible citizens of the state as one sure way of reciprocating the massive infrastructural development of the state by the Prof Chukwuma Soludo-led government.

He noted that most of the infrastructures littered across the state were linked to the taxes paid by citizens, which he also alluded to the reason the government had not borrowed since its inception.

The Speaker spoke while hosting members of Tax Justice and Governance Platform, (TJ&GP) who were on an advocacy visit to his office, under the Tax for Service Project implemented in partnership with the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, (CISLAC) with funding support from Oxfam Nigeria.

His words: “The present administration has through its massive infrastructural development across the state demonstrated that tax money can be properly applied for common good.

“People don’t just like to pay taxes and they might have good reasons for such apathy in the past. But we all can see that the current administration is doing well with the revenues collected.

“Most of the infrastructural development this government is doing is tied to the taxes the people are paying and that is why the government of the day has not borrowed any money. I think this should encourage more people to pay their taxes.”

Acknowledging the intervention of the Tax for Service implementing team which he said had contributed to increase in the internally generated revenue of the state, Udeze however regretted poor performance of the informal sector, especially when compared with the formal.

“Just as I commend your intervention, I’m equally carrying my own assessment. I discovered that the formal sector in the state is doing far better than the informal sector.

“There’s less struggle among Public servants in paying their taxes unlike those in the informal sector like markets and parks whose performances are below expectations.

“Also, you talked about generating N4.6 billion in January. When you look into it critically, you find out that probably over N1billion was expended in generating what was generated. That should be considered to know the actual amount generated.

“Above all, I think we can do much more than we are doing currently and attention should be paid to the informal sector,” he added.

Earlier, Ugochi Ehiahuruike, Executive Director, Social and Integral Development Centre, host of Tax Justice and Governance Platform who led the team said the project was to improve tax compliance among citizens and to increase internally generated revenue of the state.

She appealed to the Speaker to use his good offices to ensure government prioritized needs of the markets towards boosting the state IGR.

She said, “Our aim in this campaign is to work with Anambra State to achieve increased IGR to further expand the infrastructural development we are seeing across the state.

“We acknowledge the achievements of this administration but we are desire more attention on the markets to ease transactions within and around them.

“From the 21 selected markets across the state, we discovered a long list of needs including solar power, borehole, intra-market roads, toilet facilities, fire trucks German flooring among others.

“We are of the view that when those needs are met across the markets, traders will be encouraged to pay their taxes and levies.

“Under this campaign, we’ve been going to major markets, sensitizing traders to ensure that they pay their taxes and to the right channels. We’ve also worked with the Anambra Internal Revenue Service, (AiRS).

“While we engage you today as a critical stakeholder, we will be presenting the findings of the study that was conducted so they can guide you on what the traders need the government to do for them.

“It will also inform our future engagements with the legislative arm of government.”

Some lawmakers and the Clerk of the House, Mr Anthony Ughenu were present during the meeting.