Before You Ask For More Tax Revenue, Justify Every Kobo Paid Through DBIR – Activist To Okowa

Niger Delta activist and National Coordinator, Niger Delta Peace Coalition (NDPC), Mr. Zik Gbemre has called on Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State to justify every kobo the state government has received into its coffers before asking for more tax revenue drive from the state tax agency.

BIGPEN Online recalls that Governor Okowa, while swearing in the Monday Onyeme-led Delta State Internal Revenue Board (DBIR) on Monday, charged the board appointees to increase internal revenue generation of the state to avail the government of more funds for infrastructure development.

“Yes, we need more funds for infrastructure development, but in this your second journey in the board, don’t tax the poor and don’t over tax the rich;  most of our rich do not pay tax, go after them.

“Let them know that it is their civic duty to pay tax; there is a lot to be done and I expect that we will receive more revenue to enable us execute the projects,” Okowa said.

But Gbemre in his reaction, said that payment of tax is a necessity for Governments to run their State, but “in the case of Delta State, as well as other parts of Nigeria, the tax money is never really accounted for by the politicians in power”.

Gbemre alleged that the state government uses “tax money to pay idle politicians” instead of using them in defraying workers and pensioners salaries and allowances as well as construction of good motorable roads and providing other necessary basic amenities for citizenry.

According to him, it is not enough to demand that citizens, whether rich or poor should pay their taxes, “the question is, what have the Delta State Government been doing with all the tax revenues generated since he came into Office?

Gbemre, a radical social critics, expressed doubt if Governor Okowa can afford to account for every kobo his administration has received from the state board of internal revenue since inception.

In a statement on Tuesday, he said, “If the Delta State Government under Okowa was asked to account for every kobo of the internally generated revenue since he came into Office, will they be able to give that account with all sincerity?

He claimed that major roads in the state are not motorable because, according to him the taxes paid by citizens are not used for the purpose they are being paid.

“Is the Delta State Governor not ashamed that all the major roads and city streets across the State are currently unmotorable and in different categories of deplorable status?

“This again justifies the fact that tax money is not used for the purpose it is meant for in the State.

“Delta State Pensioners are without their gratuities after four years of retirement, and yet politicians in this administration who sit idle doing practically nothing to add value to the State, are paid well and regularly”, the activist lamented.

“So, when the Government of the day has not demonstrated accountability, stewardship and servanthood in how it has been spending public funds of externally and internally generated revenues, what moral right has that Government has to come out recently and be demanding for more drive towards the payment of tax?

“How does the Delta State Government expect Deltans and Nigerians in the State to readily and willingly pay their taxes without being asked/cajoled to do so, when it has not been able to account for, and justify what is has used previous revenues accruing to the State to do?

“It is an abuse of political power to, in any format, try to cajole or force tax from people, when the State Government itself does not use same to provide basic services and amenities for the public? They will only tar a road if there is a politician that lives in that area.

“They spend the tax money the way they like. No accountability at all. No conscience, or empathy towards the general public when it comes to the way they recklessly spend taxpayers’ money.

“It is a shame on the Delta State Government for not using all the tax monies form the State since it came in, for the purpose it was paid in the first instance.

“Nobody would like to throw their hard-earned money into the ocean.

“Okowa should think of how to invest on infrastructure development across the State, and not hampering on a drive for the collection of tax money from people, which we all know they would easily divert to compensate politicians who are idle.

He said that in developed societies like Europe and America where tax revenue is very much accounted for and used for the purpose intended, it is a big offence to evade tax because “tax money is used to provide all the good things most of our politicians go over there to enjoy”.

“With all of this, it therefore becomes a crime in these developed countries if you do not pay taxes. It becomes a crime if politicians misuse/misappropriate public money.

“But here in Delta State, it is different story entirely. You cannot force people to pay tax. Yes, the law says “PAY YOUR TAX”, but the law does not say pay tax for politicians to use in paying their idle aides and misappropriate.

“The Delta State Government under Okowa cannot be coercing people to pay high taxes, yet he does not give accountability and justification for such revenue drive – this is meaningless.

“Okowa cannot be collecting tax revenues that he does not care to use for the public.

“Now Okowa is accusing the people for not paying tax to the State. The question is, how much has Okowa paid as Tax between when Delta State was created before he supposedly emerged as the Governor of the State?

“He should check his tax history records and find out what he paid as his personal income tax all these while”.

All effort to reach the governor’s spokesman, Olisa Ifeajika to comment on this report proved abortive as of press time.