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Gov Ahmed blames long military rule, oil boom for neglect of taxation
Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed has blamed the long military incursion and sudden boom in crude oil money for the neglect of taxation as revenue
generation in the country.
The governor made this known on Wednesday in Ilorin while speaking at a breakfast meeting with economic stakeholders in the State.
He said the only way out was to bring into force, a strong tax regime to drive the State’s infrastructural developments.
The breakfast meeting attended by captains of industries, ex-government functionaries and traditional rulers where they bare their minds on the management of the state resources.
The meeting was was organized by the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS).
According to the governor, during the time of colonial administration in the country, they were basically concerned about tax collections with which they executed developmental infrastructures.
He however lamented that the interruption and prolonged rule by the military in Nigeria, coupled with the sudden discovery oil, attention was shifted from tax generation to total dependence on oil.
Ahmed commended Lagos State Government that earlier woke up from the fantasies of excessive petro-economy to begin a tax regime to develop the state which he said was now paying off for the state.
Gov Ahmed therefore pleaded with the citizens to respond positively to the series of taxes being currently introduced in the state.
Stakeholders at the meeting took both the government and the Revenue Services up complaining about the operational mode of KWIRS.
They complained about lack of infrastructures to justify the billions of naira government had realised through the new tax regime.
Chairman of KWIRS, Dr Murtala Awodun told stakeholders at the meeting modes of operations of his team.
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