The Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KGIRS) has commenced a fresh phase of its taxpayer sensitisation campaign on the newly introduced tax laws, beginning with a stakeholders’ town hall meeting in the Kogi Central Senatorial District.
The engagement, held in Okene on Friday, is the first in a series of town hall meetings scheduled across the state’s three senatorial districts to educate taxpayers, promote voluntary compliance and deepen public understanding of the new tax reforms.
The forum provided business owners, taxpayers and other stakeholders with an opportunity to interact directly with officials of the revenue service, seek clarification on the new tax regime and raise concerns affecting their businesses.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Chairman of KGIRS, Dr Sule Salihu Enehe, represented by the Director of Legal Services, Barrister Abubakar-Aliyu Bala, described taxation as a vital tool for national development and economic growth.
He said the revenue service had fully aligned its operations with the provisions of the new tax laws, particularly reforms aimed at eliminating multiple taxation, supporting small businesses and making tax administration more inclusive for low-income earners.
According to him, the agency remains committed to promoting a fair and equitable tax system anchored on the principle of taxing prosperity rather than poverty.
Also addressing participants, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Internally Generated Revenue, Dr Rahman Nasir Ichanyi, said the reforms were designed to eliminate illegal revenue collection at roadblocks, reduce the burden of multiple taxation and strengthen transparency in the relationship between taxpayers and government.
He assured participants that concerns raised during the engagement would be communicated to Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo for prompt consideration and possible intervention.
The Director of MDAs at KGIRS, Hassanat Enehezei Salawu, later presented a detailed overview of the new tax laws and responded to questions from participants during an interactive session.
The meeting attracted representatives of various business associations and taxpayers from different ethnic groups, including the Ebira, Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa communities.
During the discussion, stakeholders in the informal sector identified poor electricity supply and inadequate infrastructure as major challenges hindering business growth, productivity and revenue generation.
They appealed to the state government to improve power supply and other critical infrastructure, arguing that better business conditions would enable enterprises to expand and contribute more to the state’s internally generated revenue.
The taxpayer sensitisation campaign is expected to continue in Kogi East and Kogi West senatorial districts as the revenue service intensifies efforts to promote awareness, encourage voluntary tax compliance and ensure effective implementation of the new tax laws across the state.