The Plateau State Internal Revenue Service, PSIRS says it’s targeting generating Twenty Six Billion Naira (N26B) only from Internally Generated Revenue, IGR in the year 2023.
Executive Chairman of the Service, Mr. Dashe Arlat hinted journalists today during their quarterly media briefing at the state Headquarters of the service in Jos, the Plateau State capital.
In the first quarter of the year 2023, Arlat said the service has so far generated Seven Billion Naira N7b and are optimistic of realizing the target of the year with more strategy and awareness to the citizens of the state on the importance of paying tax.
He noted that although there was a slight drop from revenue generated in the year 2022, as they recorded only Sixteen billion as against the Twenty billion they generated in 2021 due to some new changes, but he assured that they have discussed with the team of management staff to improve on the revenue of the state this year and beyond.
Arlat said the service is working with business unions and other stakeholders to ensure tax payers pay their tax comfortably through their unions based on their income. Adding that their efforts is to generate more revenue to enable the government improve her services to the state.
“We are all working towards ensuring that all revenues are collected in the state… And work also on deploying new technology with the Plateau Integrated Revenue Collection System among other changes.
“In the new structure, we work towards ensuring that tax payers are comfortable in terms of payment, in terms of even the assessment that we put to them, we ensure that we don’t just put outrageous payment on them, rather we use their unions and associations to come up with a fair assessment that can enable them pay because we are driving towards voluntary compliance in tax payment.
“There is no point of taxing somebody a figure that he cannot pay as a tax. We make sure that we assess them within their own range and we group them into cluster. Like tailors, we said this is how much you can pay” added the Executive Chairman.
He said in order to get the expected outcome, they understand that the staff need motivation to put in their best to get the needed results, the service has trained her personnel and are focusing on motivating all the staff of the service and to ensure team spirit among them.
The revenue boss in the state call on the state citizens to follow the modernization in the world and keep records of their transactions which will make their assessment easy and they can also pay tax based on their income.
Mr. Arlat appealed to the media as a critical stakeholder to be tax ambassadors in assisting the service in creating awareness among the citizens on the need to pay tax, noting that the state is full of potentials that are yet to be utilized.