TheCable

Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo state, says all the revenues collected by his administration as tax were used for the execution of capital projects across the state.

Obaseki disclosed this when Cyril Ikemefuna Ede, chairman of council, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), paid him a courtesy visit at the government house in Benin city, the state capital.

“Without fear of contradiction, not a kobo of tax money collected in Edo state is used for recurrent expenditure,” Obaseki said.

“All tax revenues are used for the execution of capital projects. What we are doing in the education sector such as refurbishing schools, road construction and other critical infrastructural projects are done with tax money.

“As at the last count, only about 160,000 Edo citizens and corporate bodies pay approximately N2 billion monthly in the state out of a population of almost 4 million.

“If you show the people what their tax revenues are used for, it will encourage more people to pay their taxes, which in turn will increase what is collected monthly in the state and more developmental projects will be executed.”

Obaseki said all hands must be on deck to change the narrative of taxation and ensure the people do not see tax as a burden, but a responsibility that they must carry out.

He also told his guests that his administration appreciates and understands the role of technology in tax administration.

“One of the mandates the Edo State Internal Revenue Service (EIRS) is working on is to deploy technology in getting more people into our tax system,” he said.