Gov Lalong threatens to prosecute

Gov Lalong threatens to prosecute

Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State performing his civic responsibility at the office of the Plateau State Internal Revenue Services(PSIRS) during the flag off of the high powered revenue drive exercise on Thursday in Jos. 

Plateau Government has enjoined those saddled with the responsibility of collecting revenues to avoid any act of corruption and diversion of funds saying any staff found culpable of violations will not only be dismissed but also prosecuted.

Governor Simon Lalong who gave the warning during the flag-off of high powered revenue drive in Jos, Plateau State said the new arrangement provides for electronic transactions and discourages manual payments.

The governor assured citizens of the state that the government will manage all resources generated in a transparent, equitable, responsible and efficient manner to address critical areas of their lives.

“By the results of various professional analyses and assessments, it has been firmly established that we have been performing far below our capacity in internal revenue generation despite our huge potentials. Experts project that Plateau State has an internal revenue capacity of more than N5 Billion monthly.

“Even though we have made some progress at changing the situation, the continuous decline in federal allocation and the global economic effects of COVID-19 has made us move expeditiously to radically harvest internal revenue which we have neglected over the years,” he said.

He implored citizens of the state to fully complied and cooperate with those saddled with the assignment and shun any negative tendency that might rob on their integrity.

“Having personally demonstrated this level of civic responsibility as the number one citizen of the state, it means that there is nobody that will default. All of us are subject to the law and those who run against the law will bear the consequences.

” I, therefore, expect all citizens particularly political leaders (both elected and appointed) to line up behind me and do same. The time to show leadership has come!”

In his address, the Chairman, Plateau State Internal Revenue Services (PSIRS), Mr Dashe Arlat Dasogot implored the MDAs and business community to strictly adhere to the provisions of the tax law by registering their businesses with PSIRS and remitting their taxes to its coffers.