(Kogi Map. Photo by Guardain Nigeria News)
The Kogi State Internal Revenue Service has kicked off a fresh phase of its taxpayer sensitisation campaign on the newly introduced tax laws, beginning with a stakeholders’ town hall engagement in Kogi Central Senatorial District.
The town hall meeting, held in Okene on Friday, marked the first in a series of engagements planned across the state’s three senatorial districts to educate taxpayers, improve compliance and deepen public understanding of the reforms.
The forum gave business owners, taxpayers and other stakeholders the opportunity to engage directly with officials of the revenue service, seek clarification on the new tax regime and raise concerns affecting their businesses.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Chairman of KGIRS, Dr Sule Salihu Enehe, represented by the Director of Legal Services, Barrister Abubakar-Aliyu Bala, described taxation as a fundamental driver of civilisation and national development.
He said the revenue service had fully aligned with the provisions of the new tax laws, particularly reforms aimed at eliminating multiple taxation, supporting small businesses and making tax administration.
More inclusive for low-income earners, stressing that the agency remains committed to fostering economic growth through a fair tax system anchored on the principle of taxing prosperity rather than poverty.
Also addressing participants, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Internally Generated Revenue, Dr Rahman Nasir Ichanyi, said the reforms were introduced to eliminate illegal revenue collection at roadblocks, reduce the burden of multiple taxation and establish a more transparent relationship between taxpayers and government.
He assured participants that issues raised during the engagement would be conveyed to Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo for prompt attention and possible intervention.
The Director of MDAs at KGIRS, Hassanat Enehezei Salawu, later delivered a detailed presentation on the provisions of the new tax laws and responded to questions from participants during an interactive session.
The meeting drew representatives of various associations and taxpayers from different ethnic groups, including the Ebira, Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa communities.
During the discussion, stakeholders operating in the informal sector identified poor electricity supply and inadequate infrastructure as major obstacles to business growth, saying these challenges have negatively affected productivity and revenue generation.
They appealed to the state government to address the infrastructure deficits, arguing that improved power supply and better public facilities would enable businesses to expand and contribute more to the state’s internally generated revenue.
The sensitisation exercise is expected to continue in Kogi East and Kogi West as the revenue service intensifies efforts to promote awareness, encourage voluntary compliance and strengthen implementation of the new tax laws across the state.
