The Abia government says its current tax reforms are designed to improve transparency, accountability and efficiency in revenue collection, rather than increase the tax burden on residents.

The commissioner for information, Okey Kanu, said this while briefing journalists at the Government House, Umuahia, on the outcome of Monday’s State Executive Council meeting.

Mr Kanu said that the reforms were part of the present administration’s broader transformation of government institutions, processes and structures to deliver better services to the people.

He said the reforms focused on making tax administration more transparent, traceable, auditable, automated, and taxpayer-friendly.

“In the past, we had processes that were independently operated, leaving room for manual intervention, middleman cash handling, arbitrary practices of sorts, and poor accountability.

“The new system under operation seeks to close this gap, and under the new system, the State Board of Internal Revenue is automating and integrating the processes.

“This will enable taxpayers to know exactly what they are being assessed to pay, why they are being assessed, and how much they are required to pay through government-approved channels. Automation, therefore, is not a tax increment. Transparency is not a tax increment. Closing revenue leakages is not a tax increment,” he said.

Mr Kanu also said that the reforms had naturally attracted resistance from some sections of society, pointing out that people, particularly those benefiting from the old system, often resisted change.

He said the Abia government would continue to administer taxes, in line with the present administration’s definition of taxation as the government’s share of the prosperity it created for the citizenry.

The commissioner also disclosed that the governor had approved the disbursement of N1 million each to 31 verified Abia returnees from South Africa as interim support to enable them to resettle.

He said that the assistance was part of the governor’s compassionate approach to governance and commitment to the welfare of Abia people. He said that a comprehensive profiling was ongoing to determine the specific needs and circumstances of the returnees.

He said that the outcome of the exercise would guide the development of appropriate programmes to support their reintegration into society.

He further said that the Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection had been directed to ascertain whether any individuals of Abia origin were still stranded in South Africa.

On road infrastructure, the commissioner said direct-labour works had been carried out at 45 locations across the state. He said one project was completed during the period under review, while no new project was added to the Ministry of Works’ maintenance basket.

Mr Kanu identified the completed project as routine maintenance on the seven-kilometre Akpa-Mbato-Abala Road in Obingwa council area. He said that 26 roads were currently under contract, with many at various stages of completion.

He attributed the slow pace of work at some sites to the rainy season, expressing optimism that construction activities would pick up once the rains abated.

(NAN)