By Steve Oni, Ilorin
The Kwara State Internal Revenue Service, (KW-IRS), in its continued efforts to carry out its mandate of revenue generation for the strategic development of the State, has introduced the Harmonised Bill as a tool of collection of revenue from taxpayers in the State.
The Harmonised Bill, according to a statement by the Executive Chairman of the Service, Mrs Shade Omoniyi, is one of the automation strategies of the Service to improve on its revenue collection activities and bring all eligible entities or businesses into the tax net in the State.
She said: “The Harmonised Bill will enhance the computation and consolidation of and communication to all payable tax revenue and non-tax revenue as applicable to each eligible taxpayer in the State, within any assessment year.
“It will stop illegal negotiation between taxpayers and revenue officers in the Ministries or KW-IRS, as well as avoid diversion of government’s money into personal pockets.
“It will block most of the leakages through the display of all taxes due for payment by a tax payer and provide education on double and multiple taxation. A single entity could be charged to different revenue lines depending on the nature of business.
“It will indicate the level of tax compliance by showing both current and outstanding liabilities of each taxpayer in a single document.”
The Executive Chairman, however, stated that: “The Agency has not reviewed revenue fee or introduced new taxes to tax payers since the current administration took over. All revenue lines currently being collected have been in existence.
“KW-IRS has introduced an approach to ensuring required and legitimate tax due are paid by taxpayers and collected appropriately into the coffers of the State.
“We have advised MDAs to allow taxpayers with arrears, access government benefits when they pay their dues for the current year, while they come up with plans for the payment of their outstanding liabilities.
“All revenue lines of the MDAs in Kwara State on the Harmonised Bill are the same as approved and as provided by existing relevant laws.
“This revenue drive in the State, with the introduction of the Harmonised Bill, will improve the tax compliance in the State and bring about an enhanced revenue generation which is a veritable support for the Federal Allocation in ensuring that government meets its responsibilities and desires of Kwarans.
“The Kwara State Internal Revenue Service will continue to collaborate with all MDAs and Stakeholders in the State for effective and efficient collection of all that is legally due from taxpayers and enjoins all taxpayers to seek clarifications from appropriate sources when in doubt.”
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