…as Governor Oyebanji Lauds EKIRS Over Increase in IGR
Precious Oham
Ekiti State Internal Revenue Service, EKIRS, has launched another platform *5229# to ease tax payment.
The *5229# USSD Payment System also known as ‘Irorun de’ was launched by the Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji on Thursday in Ado-Ekiti.
Governor Oyebanji, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Habibat Omolara Adubiaro said the initiative is aimed at making tax payments seamless by citizens of the State.
While commending the Chairman of EKIRS and his team for their efforts towards improving IGR of the State, the Governor urged members of the public to take advantage of the new platform.
Oyebanji added that his administration had not introduced any new tax since inception, rather focused on how to enhance efficiency in collections so as to eliminate leakages.
His words: “It is my pleasure to be here today to launch an innovative initiative that is aimed at making tax payments as simple as ABC for our people. Today’s event is an attestation to our relentless commitment to making life better for our people.
“I must commend the Chairman of EKIRS for the great work he and his team are doing. It is to his credit that the monthly Internal Generated Revenue profile of the State has improved from about N600m to over N1.3b. I therefore want to commend him and his team for his achievements so far.
“We are proud to introduce ‘irorun de’, a cutting-edge system that will revolutionize the way we pay taxes. It is believed that this innovation will significantly boost our IGR and make collection easy, cheaper and convenient.”
Earlier in his welcome address, Ekiti State Commissioner for Budget, Economic Planning and Performance Management, Niyi Adebayo said the event signifies another milestone in the government of the State.
He charged residents of the State to take advantage of the the platform.
Introducing the features and capabilities of the product, CEO of LSSBI Advisory, Oladipo Ishola explained that using the USSD *5229# will unlock improved revenue collection.
According to him, “what this does is that you don’t have to travel long distances as regards your tax remittance.
“Alternatively, tax payers can also visit the booths of accredited mobile money agents, like Airtel’s Smartalk and MTN’s Momo to have the payments made.
“You have the minimum of 19 different banks you can use. This USSD code is available anywhere in Nigeria and it is only unique to Ekiti State. One of the most beautiful thing is that you can see your tax history using the USSD code.”
