By Oye Chukwujekwu
The Delta State Government has called on members of the informal sector to embrace the Identifiable Group Taxation (IGT) regime to enjoy its accompanying gains.
Representative of the Delta State Board of Internal Revenue, Mr. Chuks Iku, made the appeal at an advocacy session with the Market Women and Men Association of Nigeria, Delta State Chapter, in Asaba.
Iku stated that the advocacy session was organised to explain what the Identifiable Group Tax entailed and the modalities for implementation, saying that Tax Revenue was what government all over the world channels into the development and provision of basic social amenities such as electricity, construction of good road network, hospitals, schools, provision of security among others for the benefit of its citizens.
He disclosed that meeting the Identifiable Group Taxation obligation would not only empower government to provide the basic conducive trading space with provision of basic amenities like potable water, good toilets facilities, access to loan, etc, but would automatically qualify them to be incorporated into the Delta State Contributory Health Insurance scheme to cater for their health.
Iku stated that the fee required as tax to be paid by members of the Informal Sector to fully enjoy its attendant benefits including the incorporation into the State Health Contributory Insurance Scheme is Twelve Thousand Naira (N12, 000.00) yearly.
The amount, he emphasized, could be paid in tranches of either one thousand naira (N1, 000.00) monthly or fifty naira (N50.00) per day for 20 days in a month, maintaining that the move would help reduce the over out-of-pocket expenses and its attendant challenges.
He therefore enjoined members of the Informal sector to ensure that they were duly registered with the various market associations, stating that the executive of such market associations had been empowered to ensure collection and commended them for their show of partnership with the government for the interest of the state.
But, the Special Assistant to the Governor, Special Duties on the State Contributory Health Commission, Dr. Michael Nwoko, hailed participants for their show of enthusiasm towards the course, and urged them to fully embrace the move by the government, assuring that they would have no cause to regret in the long run.
Also, the Omu-Anioma, HRM Obi Martha Dunkwu, appealed to government to use tax payers’ money for their general wellbeing, saying that many advanced world were built with revenue from tax payments.
The occasion witnessed the request by participants for government to ensure the cancellation of double taxation on members of the Market Women and Men Association of Nigeria, particularly in the State Councils if they must pay tax to enjoy good governance.
Present at the advocacy session were the Project Director of the Identifiable Group Taxation, Blessing Uso; the Secretary, Taskforce on Enforcement of Ground Rent, Mr Tony Egboko; the functioning Director, Department of Planning Research and Statistics/ICT of the State Contributory Health Commission, Mr Akpofure Emmanuel; Omus of Onicha-Ugbo, Igbodo, Onicha-Olona, Onicha-Ukwu and Ogwashi-Uku, among others.
