- September 9, 2021
- Posted by: adminer
- Category: Finance
The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN) has advised state governments to build up their human and natural resources toward engender self-reliance and more economical viability.
Mr Taiwo Owokalade, ICSAN’s 28th President, gave the advice at a news briefing on Thursday in Lagos.
He said this became pertinent following the current tax collection dispute between the Rivers state government and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
The Federal high court in Rivers had last month delivered a judgment restraining the FIRS from collecting Value Added Tax (VAT) and personal income tax in the state.
Meanwhile, the FIRS has appealed the ruling and urged tax payers in the state to continue to remit their VAT to the agency’s coffers pending the outcome of the matter at the supreme court.
Owokalade, stressing the need to properly address tax collection, said that the current realities must ensure that states were not shortchanged in the process.
The ICSAN President also, charged the 36 states of the federation to redefine, reconfigure and employ measures that would lead to the development of their own human and natural resources for the prosperity of their citizens.
“States must look inwards and generate economically viable activities with its human and natural resources that would make the lives of residents more meaningful and not just be reliant on VAT and all that.
“Once states start to develop their capacities, the issue of rural to urban migration would also be addressed.