Aregbesola Has Increased Osun IGR Capacity Above 30%- Fowler
The Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr Babatunde Fowler on Monday disclosed that Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s administration in Osun State has raised the state Internally Generated Revenue above 30% between 2016 and 2017.
Fowler equally stated that the tax payers’ money has been duly spent and justified with massive infrastructure and socio-security programmes being put in place by the Aregbesola’s government.
He made the disclosure at the 140th Quarterly Meeting of the Joint Tax Board, being hosted by the Osun Board of Internal Revenue Service in Osogbo.
The FIRS’ Chairman commended the Aregbeola’s government for being resilient, dogged and focused at raising the bar of good governance in all ramifications, in spite of the present economic realities.
Fowler noted that Osun under Aregbesola’s watch has demonstrated high sense of commitment to human and capital development, a stride made possible through innovative ideology to robust taxation.
He held that it is on record that Osun has made giant strides to stimulate her economy with determined efforts to an improved revenue generation, calling on other states to key into the Osun revenue generation policy, which has witnessed a geometric improvement in the last few years.
In his remarks, Aregbesola called on people to imbibe the spirit of tax payment, stressing that no meaningful development can take place without the people assisting the government through tax payment.
He called on governments all over the country to mobilise their people to work and be ready to contribute part of their earnings to support societal growth, saying that public service can only be possible through taxation.
Aregbesola said the reliance of the nation on oil revenue for survival is no longer safe as the product will no longer be useful in the next 30 years.
The Governor then called for an alternative to generating revenue for the country which everyone must take as a duty for all.
His words: “Many people fail to realise that public service is only possible through tax, if we think what is happening in Nigeria is sustainable then we are deceiving ourselves because our main stay as a nation which is oil will no longer be be useful in the next 30 years.
“The only thing we must do today is to develop alternatives to oil revenue, we must do more to find an alternative.
“There is no other way to run a modern government except through the contribution of those who are working, the greatest displacement of a man is not being able to contribute to the development of his environment.