RSBIR Promises To Surpass Expectations

The Rivers State Board of Internal Revenue (RSBIR) has warned the general public to desist from patronizing road-side touts, saying it does not sell Tax Clearance Certificates as alleged.
Newly sworn-in Chairperson of the board, Mrs Onene Osila-Oshoko in a chat with newsmen shortly after being inaugurated recently in Government House, Port Harcourt, urged citizens to pay their tax directly to the banks rather than to touts promising to surpass government’s expectations.
She counseled that citizens should go to designated banks and pay directly into special accounts and not pay cash to anybody.
“Please we don’t sell Tax Clearance Certificates,” Mrs Osila-Oshoko explained, “So if somebody tells you to pay for tax clearance certificate, please know the person is fake. For one to get Tax Clearance Certificate, you have to pay your tax and it’s verified. So, Tax Clearance Certificate is issued to you. You don’t pay to get it, but a lot of people are patronizing touts so they have to be vigilant.”
Reacting to the governor’s challenge to the board to raise the state’s revenue profile, she remarked,  “there are a lot to be done. There are lots of projects to be done to move our revenue up. So, we have to move to N10billion to N11billion, and keep increasing the revenue but all is within the law”.
Osila-Oshoko promised to bolster other forms of tax to raise the state’s revenue profile.
Such revenues include levies, licensing fees, pool vetting, casino and entertainment taxes and property tax.
She urged the citizens to pay their Personal Income Tax, which according to her, is different from company tax,”
A lot of people say they have paid their company tax but you know the Personal Income Tax is different because you deduct from the salary of your employees,’’ she said.
The RSIRB boss stressed that personal income tax is the key driver of revenue in the state, pointing out that the state’s revenue fluctuates often due to factors bordering on salaries and income of the citizens.
She explained that when people get upfront payments and jumble monies, it increases revenue, arguing that revenue is not a static thing.