‘Rivers IGR Has Not Dropped’

Chairman of the Rivers State Board of Internal Revenue, Mrs Nene Obele-Oshoko has dismissed claims that the State revenue profile was on the decline.
Dismissing the view yesterday during a chat with newsmen in Port Harcourt, Mrs Obele-Oshoko said over the years, the State has recorded increase in internally generated revenue.
She attributed the fluctuations witnessed in the revenue profile of the state to different periods when some corporate bodies pay their taxes yearly.
The Internal Revenue Board boss observed that it was wrong to use the profile in some parts of the year to assess the total outlook in the state.
“There has not been a decline in the revenue of the State. Year in, year out, the revenue has been on the increase due to awareness being created”, she said.
According to her, between January and February every year big companies pay their taxes up front thereby raising the state revenue profile in those months.
On the other hand, she explained that revenue declines as the year comes to an end, insisting that the revenue still remain stable.
According to Obele-Oshoko, since the inception of the Amaechi administration the revenue has been on the increase rather than declining, and attributed the development to tight measures introduced to check tax evasion.
Governor Chibuike ‘Amaechi had earlier in the year commended the RSBIR for the increasing State revenue profile, which he said has risen from N4 billion to N6 billion and above in some months.
The governor however tasked the board to intensify its effort to ensure that the state revenue goes up to N10 billion, noting that government needed more funds to sustain various ongoing projects in different parts of the state.

Picture shows, the Chairman, Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA), Rev Canon Precious Omuku (2nd left), Executive Director (RSSDA), Mr Noble Pepple (middle) and other board members at the unveiling of a new outlet of ‘The Promise’ Francise at Okrika, recently.