Dwindling revenue generation: Dankwambo warns tax evaders

Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe State Tuesday warned tax evaders in the state of stiff penalties, same for those found obstructing the operations of the State Internal Revenue Board.

According to the state Governor, who spoke at the flag-off of the state’s Board of Internal Revenue’s Central system of operations, government would no longer tolerate offenders as they would be dealt with appropriately.

The Governor stated that the law to back up the new system, which is before the State House of Assembly, would deploy magistrates specifically designated in each of the eleven Local Government Areas to try those guilty of noncompliance with the revenue laws of the state, when the law is enacted.

Chairman of the Board, Alhaji Mohammed Adamu Damji, said the new system would mean that no cash would be collected as revenue anymore and that that even road side traders would pay through an innovative e-system to block leakages and ensure overall increase of the state’s revenue.

He also explained that the new revenue collection and monitoring system would capture data of all tax payers in the State online.

According to him, the flag-off also signified the commencement of the e-Enumeration of Tax Payers in the informal Economic Sector which will now reposition the state to be economically viable to withstand the challenges facing the state’s economy.

He disclosed that the revenue system used by the State Board of Internal Revenue for Internally Generated Revenue was the collection of cash and the issuance of receipts as a sign of collection and payment.

He explained that the former system where raw cash was collected alongside the issuance of receipts as a sign of payment had been utterly abused by both payers and collectors, hence the need to embark on the reforms to reposition the board to be more effective.