USAID trains 20 Gombe directors on IGR
In continuation of its series of trainings and workshops, the USAID state Accountability, Transparency and Effectiveness State to State Activity has trained twenty directors from revenue generating Ministries Departments and Agencies MDAs in Gombe State on Internally Generated Revenue IGR expansion strategy implementation tool.
The training which lasted for two days at the Flourish Hotel, Gombe had in attendance directors from the Gombe State Internal Revenue Service, Fiscal Responsibility Commission, Office of the Accountant General, Gombe Geographic Information System GOGIS,Ministry of Finance , Budget and Planning, Debt Management office.
The Gombe State, Public Finance Management PFM Specialist of State to State Activity, Dr. Eunice Ngozi Akpala- Okoroafor, said the state to state activity is supporting Gombe state to improve its IGR performance hence the training is to familiarize state partners with the implementation tool developed for enhanced performance.
“This is actually an ongoing activity in Gombe state sponsored by state to state activity in Nigeria. This started last year November in order to achieve the objective of the IGR expansion strategy. The major reason for this activity is to support Gombe State to see how it can improve in its IGR performance. We have held series of capacity building trainings, direct technical support in the state’s quest to improve it IGR performance,” DR Akpala –Okoroafor added.
The PFM specialist said, state to state, had earlier supported the state to developed an IGR expansion strategy yet to be implemented hence the need for the state actors to be put through so as to know how to use the tool to improve the revenue base of the state.
Akpala –Okoroafor, ”What we are doing presently, is to familiarize the state partners with the implementation tool. We supported the state to develop an IGR expansion strategy, that document is there but yet to be implemented. The state to state activity now developed an implementation tool to enable the state put into use the strategy. So, it is that framework that we are trying to put the state partners through to implement. It is their document we are only giving support to enable the state execute and implement the strategy successfully to the end so that we see improvement in its the IGR performance.”
Executive Director Other Tax, Gombe State Internal Revenue Service,Salfullah Ibrahim Waziri in an interview said due to the intervention of state to state activity ,the service was able to secure two grants for the State.
The executive Director said the grant was secured because the internal revenue service was now organized and do things properly.
Waziri said, “with technical support and training being given by the State to State activity, the service is now guided by the revenue codification and consolidated law and it has everything in order and do not do things outside the law. Prior this, operations were done haphazardly but the state to state activity had help regulate to ensure everything is captured in the right policy and time as well as task given to the right people to implement. The importance of IGR tool cannot therefore be overemphasized”.
Salfullah Waziri said reforms and transformation are going on in the service as it is now fully automated banned cash collection and receipting also automated.
“People are now confident that if they pay tax it goes to government and not into the pocket of the tax collector hence, are coming willingly to the service to pay their tax adding that IGR of the state had kept improving. The state to state has ignited us on a lot of ways as to how to expand the state’s IGR drive especially when it comes to the tax revenue and also helped in terms of governance accountability.” Waziri noted.
Also the executive Director Standard and Compliance of the Internal Revenue Service Mr Bulus Nuhu spoke on the importance of IGR expansion strategy implementation tool saying due to the dwindling federation allocation, states government are looking inwards to raise it IGR to cover it recurrent expenditure.
The ED noted that “there has been a tremendous increase of the revenue profile of the Gombe saying it had increased from over eight billion Nara in 2020 to over ten billion in 2021”.
Meanwhile, The Gombe State Internal Revenue Service will soon establish a tax appeal tribunal that will handle tax matters in the state made.
Mr Nuhu said the service has met with the Chief Judge for the establishment of the tribunal and that it will also handle taxpayers who after making all relevant engagement through enlightenment and dialogue but refused to do the needful.
He however said, the service would not want to drag anyone to the tribunal except if all the avenues have been exhausted for the tax payer to pay his liability but refuses to comply explaining that in the tax administration, tax payers are not forced to pay their tax liability.
The Executive Director appealed to taxpayers to do the needful to avoid facing the law.
Highlight of the two days training include; technical sessions and group work on the IGR Expansion Strategy implementation tool.
