New tax system to benefit Edo people – Elamah

The Executive Chairman of the Edo State Internal Revenue Service, IRS, Chief Oseni Elamah yesterday disclosed that the tax system that will be introduced in the state will be reorganized to suit the needs and yearnings of the people.

 

Chief Elamah made the disclosure when development partners of the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ paid him a courtesy visit at his office in Benin City.

Elamah said the state government is poised to generate revenue that will meet the yearnings and aspirations of her people and deepening its drive for inclusiveness in governance.

He further disclosed that the government decided to scrap the uncoordinated tax system in the state, grant tax amnesty so as to re-organize the tax system which would be favourable to the people.

“The Edo State government knows human factors play a big role in the formulation of our policies. And since the soul of governance is the ability of government to generate the resources that meet the demands and yearnings of our people, we decided to reorganize the tax system and be at par with the changes taking place all over the world”, he said.

The courtesy visit was part of the schedule of programmes between ANEEJ and Bread for the World, a development organization based in Berlin to ANEEJ headquarters in Benin City Edo State.

Part of the delegation from Bread for the World included Mr. Rainer Lang, Public Relations Officer of Bread of the World and Mr. Reinhard Palm head of Africa desk.

Earlier in his address, ANEEJ Executive Director, Rev. David Ugolor said the visit of ANEEJ and her development partners to the IRS is a product of already existing governance cooperation with the Edo State government.

“Our visit today is to firm up that relationship which began when Edo State government began to be open and transparent with its budgeting systems”. Ugolor said.

Head of the Bread for the World delegation, Mr. Reinhard Palm on his part, thanked Elamah for opening up issues of governance to the scrutiny of her people and expressed confidence that since finance for development has to come from the inside of governments, issues of taxation and how the government intends to spend these monies remain critical issues.

Mr. Palm said, “ANEEJ and Edo IRS collaboration is unique and must be commended because international analysis of Nigeria’s revenue collection is often negative in the light of dwindling oil finances”.

Subsequently, Mr Lang who is Editor for the Public Relations Department of Bread of the World, has emphasized on the need for Nigeria media to portray the country positively to the outside world.

Lang spoke yesterday at a two-day workshop organized for Journalists and members of Civil Society organization, and lamented that reports about corruption, poverty crime and disease has rather not help repair the image of the country but has damaged it so badly that Nigerians outside the country are seen as bad people.

He said journalist should develop standard for the job and design a structure to ensure their stories are seen online anywhere in the world.
 

According to him, “There is no recipe on how to develop credibility, it is a tradition we must deliberately develop it. If the people have a good understanding of how a particular media works, then they would trust us.

“What they read about Africa is war, crime, disease, poverty and corruption and this is the image about the whole continent without any support from the public”. He said.