Jang engages professional bodies to boost IGR

The Plateau State government at the weekend organised a stakeholders roundtable on tax with 22 professional groups as parts of efforts to boost the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR).

Governor Jang said at the opening ceremony that it has become pertinent for the state to look inward for other sources of revenue due to the decline in the monthly allocations from the Federation Accounts, adding that because of the sheer numbers and quantum of activities and businesses by professional bodies in the state, “their taxable potentials are huge, to say the least.”

The governor, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Shedrac Best, said “for good or ill, oil revenues are increasingly declining. Likewise the oil reserve. Soon, the ultimate test for and survival of political leaders would be their ability to find alternative sources for generating revenue. For us in Plateau state, we do not want to be caught unawares.”

The Executive Chairman of Plateau State Internal Revenue Service, Samuel Pam said about 90 per cent of the tax generated from the state was generated from PAYE adding that there was a need to engage the informal sector which include professional organisations.

Also speaking, the state commissioner of Finance, Davou Mang explained that since government has a mandate to provide security and basic social services for all in the state, it has then become pertinent for professionals and other groups to pay the relevant and necessary taxes.