Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service (KADIRS) has said the Economic Development Levy it will begin collecting from residents in 2021 will motivate the people to be entrepreneurs instead of staying idle.
Arewa Trust Weekly reports that residents have condemned the state government’s move to impose the N1,000 levy based on Section 9 (2) of the Kaduna State Tax Codification and Consolidation Law 2020.
Speaking with our correspondent in an interview on the levy, the executive chairman of the organisation, Dr Zaid Abubakar, said unemployed youths would now have to look for means of generating income so as to pay the levy.
He, however, stressed that though government could not provide employment for everyone, it would work hard to provide job opportunities for its citizens.
He assured residents that by the time the government is done with the 2021 revenue strategy, they will come up with revenue collection plan that will also provide within it job opportunities for the public.
The tax agency boss said high net worth individuals who pay income tax will also pay the N1,000 levy, adding that the levy will be taxed annually and “when divided by 12 months it is just N83.3 monthly.”
He said there was no specific sanction against defaulters but warned that they may be prosecuted.
“Failure to pay will mandate the state to take a defaulter to a court of law for prosecution,” he said.
