The Executive Chairman of the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS), Ayodele Subair, has said the service has met its revenue target for the first nine months of the year 2024.
Though he did not disclose the amount generated so far, he stated that the service is poised to end the year with another record breaker in the area of revenue generation.
He spoke in Lagos during The Peak Performer (TPP) Festival and Award where LIRS and other corporate and individual Nigerians were conferred with different awards.
Some of the corporate awardees were Axa Mansard; Bank of Industry; Colton Group; Emerging Africa; GDL; Leadway; Lotus Bank and MasterCard among others.
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Individual awardees included Dr. Biodun Shobanjo; Sir. Ademola Aladekomo; Chief Mrs. Nike Okundaye-Davies; Mr. Foluso Philips; Dr. John Momoh; Dr. Cosmas Maduka, among others.
Subair, who received about four awards on behalf of the service, dedicated them to the state governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the tax-paying Lagosians, calling on the people to support the state more by paying their taxes as and when due.
Daily Trust reports that the state government had targeted over N1tr internally generated revenue for the year.
But the LIRS chairman when asked about the year’s performance said, “All I will tell you is that we have practically met our target in the first nine months of the year. So, expect to have another record breaking year because every year we improve, every year we are setting new standards for ourselves. This year will be another one.”
The LIRS boss stated that all over the world people don’t like to pay their taxes, adding that the service is deploying various initiatives to improve compliance.
He said, “So, we spend a lot of time in advocacy because we realise that a lot of citizens don’t avail themselves with all the various laws and procedures and so a big part of what we do is to go out there, talk to people using different media to let people know.
“Because a lot of people don’t even connect the dot, people feel that when they go to the US or UK, they are very happy with what they see, good roads, light, security and so much support from the government but somebody has got to pay for it and the only way we can achieve such greatness is when all of us pay their part.
“Secondly, we have to show to the people where the money goes so as to encourage them to pay their taxes as and when due. So, we have a lot of the projects that are going on. So, nobody who lives in Lagos would deny the fact that there are a lot of ground breaking projects going on in Lagos, so many of them – the Blue Line, the Red Line, all the good roads, security.”
Convener of the TPP Festival, Dr. Abiola Salami said he instituted the award to appreciate individuals and organisations doing great things in Nigeria.
He said despite the challenges facing the country, “A number of things are going right in Nigeria, and on our continent, it is not all gloom and doom.
“So when things are going right, let us say it. Of course, when things need to be improved, we should say it as well, but not by pontificating or knocking down the people who are not doing things right but by providing solutions to help them because generally, if people know better, they do better.”
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