The Director Tax Offices,
Rivers State Internal Revenue Service (RIRS), Mr. Israel Egbuneful, has stressed the need for total tax payment compliance by the informal sector.
Egbunefu, who said this in an exclusive interview with The Tide in his office in Port Harcourt, said compliance by company workers and individuals would bring about development that will create more jobs.
He noted that building the state requires a team work, adding that tax payment is a civic responsibility of the state’s citizenry which will encourage government to undertake developmental projects that are people oriented.
“When government is encouraged, jobs are created for more development. The only moral courage and right to ask government questions can only come when the people are doing the right thing which is paying their taxes as at when due”, he said.
He expressed worry that many people do not pay what they are supposed to pay as tax to the government, adding that “it is ignorance that makes people not to pay their tax”.
The director said the focus of RIRS is on how to harness the potentials of the informal sector to grow the state’s economy, adding that “the service will continue to drive the  Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state in 2016.
“The challenge of RIRS is to ensure that those that need to pay tax to the state pay it”.
On the performance of the re-launched tax office in Bori LGA, he said that the services promised by RIRS have become operational adding that there are now 15 tax offices across the state.
The Director noted the advocacy and other efforts of RIRS are geared towards discouraging people from patronizing quacks and knowing the symbol and identities of RIRS staff.
He urged the public to ensure that they file their 2015 annual returns between January 1st to March 31st to avoid the N50,000 fine for late filing from April 1st.
Egbunefu stressed that RIRS increased awareness programme is geared towar4ds making people to be willing to pay tax as their civic responsibilities.