08 Aug KEYNOTE ADDRESS DELIVERED AT THE OYO STATE TAX STAKEHOLDERS “POVERTY TO PROSPERITY” SUMMIT

IGR ROADMAP AND ECONOMIC PROSPERITY IN OYO STATE

We are here today to talk about the Oyo State IGR Roadmap that will facilitate economic prosperity. The issue of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) is very important as it is tied to how much development the state will experience, all things being equal. Without adequate revenue, there will be no resources to fund the budget; the state will have to resort to borrowing for recurrent expenditure or owing for overheads, which is never ideal.

Trends also show Oyo State’s IGR fluctuates; in 2014 it was N16.30bn, but dropped to N15.66bn in 2015, later increasing to N18.88bn in 2016. For 2017, the IGR figures grew to N22.45bn. While in 2018 it grew to N24.67bn. This put our IGR per capita in 2018 at below N3,000 per person. We can definitely do better.

The current trend across states in Nigeria is to see IGR as being synonymous with revenue generated from taxes, partly because other sources of revenue, especially natural resources are on the exclusive list.

Revenue generated from these natural resources goes to the Federation Account and is then shared between the Federal Government and states. A lot has been said about how this has served as a hindrance to development, and how it has made states unwilling to invest in the management of these resources. But that is only half of the story.

The other half is that it is possible to raise the IGR of the state without raising taxes. And this is the promise that we made to the people of Oyo State while we were on the campaign trail. We are determined to continue keeping that promise.

Indeed, as clearly stated in our Roadmap for Accelerated Development in Oyo State 2019-2023, our plans to increase the revenue generated in Oyo State without an increase in taxes, stand on four legs:

1. A thorough review of the current IGR process and management in the state
2. Expanding the tax net
3. Looking for new sources of revenue
4. Being aggressive and innovative in the mode of revenue collection by having the State Board of the Internal Revenue Service working in collaboration with seasoned professionals.

So far, and I am sure we will have this expounded by various speakers today, Oyo State has embarked on a comprehensive review of the IGR process and management. We have been able to plug some holes in the system and this is yielding results. We have also employed new managers of the revenue collection process. Their mandate is to come up with innovative and aggressive ways of getting the untaxed to contribute to the development of the state. The commencement of the new strategies put in place to increase IGR produced the positive result recorded in December 2019, as we raised the IGR to 2.4 Billion Naira from about 2 Billion Naira in November.

Also, we are putting in place a land administration solution that will ensure wider and more effective enumeration of all business and household properties, ensure ease of obtaining land titles and other documents and faster approval of building plans. The land use charge has been fine-tuned and will be responsibly applied. Furthermore, we have taken a second look at our vehicle registration and renewal system and by the end of this month, the public can expect a wider, better and faster platform which will be available in all our 34 tax stations. We will continually apply fair and harmonised billings to other rates and levies.

It is generally agreed in economic circles that the citizens are more inclined to respond positively and even volunteer to pay their taxes when they see how these payments are being put in use. I am happy to report that the taxes paid by the good people of Oyo State are currently being ploughed back into the development of the state. You may be aware of the work being done by the Oyo State Road Maintenance Agency (OYSROMA); we are rehabilitating roads in Ibadan and will move outside Ibadan to other cities before the end of this quarter.

The work being done in the education sector is also taxpayers’ money in action. Schools are being built and renovated; we are concentrating on our final year secondary school students. We want them to return better results in their WAEC exams this year. We are also able to increase the education budget by 700% compared to last year’s budget.

Because we believe that health is wealth, we are taking steps to ensure that the people of Oyo State remain healthy. Soon, we will roll out a health intervention programme across all Local Government Areas in the state. The renovation and equipping of hospitals and Primary Health Care Centres in the state remain on course.

In a few months, we are looking to start running a mass transit system in the state. The modalities are being set up and we will communicate the process with you.

Of course, what this means is that we will have to find a way of increasing our IGR especially by looking inwards and exploring areas of competitive advantage. We have to, as a matter of urgency, attract investments into Oyo State.

Attracting direct investments will take a collective effort. Our administration will continue to invest in security and take other measures to ensure that we create an enabling environment for the growth of investments. On your part, you should be ready to extend the traditional hospitality to strangers, making them feel welcome in our midst.

We also plead that you file your annual returns early in the year and within the stipulated time.

As we explore the theme of this Stakeholder’s summit, I enjoin us all to keep our minds open to new ideas and think creatively and innovatively about how to expand our tax net. If, as research has shown, an increase in IGR is a strong determinant of economic development, then those of us in this room should understand how important this mandate is.

I wish us all fruitful deliberations.

Governor Seyi Makinde, January 28,2020