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Vera Wisdom-Bassey
The Managing Partner/CEO, Okwudili Ijezie and Co., Chief Blakey Okwudili Ijezie, has lamented the inability of some states in the country to generate revenue internally. He said instead of going to Abuja every month for revenue collection, they can generate their own revenues.
He made the remark during a press briefing heralding the forthcoming seminar on Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), billed for August 15-16, 2019, in Lagos.
The two-day seminar, he explained, is to enlighten the states on how to generate revenue for themselves, adding, “we are to review notes and make the states understand that they don’t have to go to Abuja every month but can, from their states, generate revenue internally.”
The company revealed that the seminar on IGR would be for states, ministries, corporate organisations, Nigerian Customs officers and revenue committees, among others and will focus on IGR, which most states are finding difficult to raise.
He gave the example of former Lagos State Governor, Ahmed Tinubu, who never bothered about revenues even when the then President Olusegun Obasanjo denied him state allocations, saying he never bothered because he knew other ways of generating revenue.
Ijezie noted that Lagos State generates revenue through Land Use Charge through which it maintains its infrastructure, stressing that another means through which the state boosts its revenue is increase in tax net, bringing those who are not paying tax to begin to do so without necessarily increasing taxes, which in turn will not impact negatively on the masses.
According to him, there are several avenues through which the states can generate revenue.
Organisers of the seminar targeted at state governments, ministries departments in the Senate, Nigerian Customs Service and other contingencies, encouraged individuals who wish to attend to avail themselves of the opportunity.
The retired taxation expert, who lamented the economic issues confronting the country presently said through this means, the states can generate revenues and be enabled to pay the new minimum wage (N30,000).
