LASG to partner JTB to boost other states’ revenue

The Lagos State Government says it will work with the Joint Tax Board (JTB) to design solutions for other states to professionalise their Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to generate more revenue.

Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos said this when the Executive Secretary of the Joint Tax Board (JTB), Olusegun Adesokan, led a delegation to pay him a courtesy visit at the Lagos House in Ikeja.

The governor said that the additional revenue to be provided by professionalising the IRS in other states would be for the residents’ benefit.

He said, “It is only when the sub-region makes concerted efforts at granting autonomy and professionalising their IRS that they can scale up their revenue and key in to opportunities for citizens to enjoy the benefits of governance.

“It is imperative that, with our current challenges, we are our brothers’ keepers.

“We should look beyond the scope of our sovereignty as a sub-region to help proffer solutions to other states; we must continue to assist one another in terms of the exchange of knowledge.

“Lagos has a tested and trusted template that has helped us become a model for all forward-thinking states that are on the path to bettering the lives of their residents, as we are doing in Lagos.”

Sanwo-Olu noted that generating revenue and providing social-economic amenities should have a symbiotic relationship.

He added that, as a goal of governance, state governments should continue to drive policies that are human-orientated.

The Executive Secretary, Joint Tax Board (JTB), Olusegun Adesokan, also harped on the need for state governments to professionalise their internal revenue service by leveraging technology.

He urged them to also leverage human capacity and infrastructure to generate taxes for their sub-regions.

He said the development, if embraced, would reduce burdens on the federal government and increase revenue generation for the respective states.