The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Communities and communications, Hon. Kehinde Bamigbetan, has called on all business owners at the grassroots to ensure that they pay their taxes, levies or rates regularly.
This, according to him, would improve the business environment and enable the state government to serve them better. He made the call on Friday, December 9, 2016 at the first session of the community business assembly organized by the Lagos State government in collaboration with the UK-DFID Growth and Employment in the state’s projects at Ikorodu local government secretariat.
Speaking during the event, Hon. Bamigbetan said that the platform was organized purposely to lessen the burden of tax compliance and encourage investment by the private sector to create jobs. He said that with an improved tax system, in which entrepreneurs know the rates to pay, there would be less acrimony over taxation and the purpose to which taxes are applied.
The special adviser, who intimated that it would also create additional jobs that would help reduce poverty in the various communities in the state, also charged both informal and formal business operators to request for a receipt to show the evidence of tax payment in order to avoid double taxation.
In his address, the representative of GEMS-3-DFID, Mr. Dawwud Musa, noted that the main aim of the organization was to improve business environment and work effectively with both the private and public stakeholders at the national, state and local government levels with a view to building and delivering a systematic framework that could enhance the ease for doing business in Nigeria, leading to improvements in economic opportunities for the poor. According to him, “A conducive environment makes it easier to do business, which could stimulate investment, create additional jobs and ultimately contribute to poverty reduction,” he stated. Mr. Dawwud also revealed that GEMS-3 focused on tax to sensitize the masses on chargeable rates, where to pay, how to pay in order to ensure politeness, peace and mutual benefit between the tax payers, tax collectors and the government for better development.
Earlier in his goodwill message, the Sole Administrator of Ikorodu West LCDA, Segun Anifowoshe, said the assembly would enhance more partnership between the formal and informal business operators at the local government level. He also noted that it would enable all stakeholders to know their civic rights. Mr. Femi Okedeyi from Imota LCDA also lauded the business assembly, saying that it would enable the private sector, small and medium enterprises and other stakeholders to know the kind of dues and levies they are required to pay to the government. Mr. Thompson John, from the Lagos State ministry of wealth creation has also revealed that the aim of the business assembly was to create an enabling environment for business to thrive well and contribute immensely to the state economy. He confirmed that the forum would bring government closer to the public.
In her own short remarks, the Director of Taxation and Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Lagos State, Mrs. Anne Momodu stated that her ministry, in conjunction with GEMS 3, was giving technical assistance to improve processes, strengthen systems and develop specific capacity building programmes for the stakeholders. She also stated that the ministry also sensitizes SMEs and other stakeholders on the need to verify the approved rates chargeable to them by the local government and LCDAs before payment so that multiple taxations could be avoided.
The representative from the private sector, Mr. Ojo, assured both the state and the local government of their readiness to support and collaborate with the government in ensuring that there is improvement in the tax payment. The Sole Administrators in Ikorodu division also expressed support for the assembly and pledged to sustain it in order to create and develop better rapport between tax collectors, tax payers and government. One of the resolution was also to promote partnership with the private sector.
Among the stakeholders at the event were, Chamber of Commerce, Ikorodu division; First Bank of Nigeria plc; Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises; Arise Women; Caterers; vulcanizers; cosmetologists; barbers; decorators; community development committees, among others.