The Abia government is to begin enumerating all houses and business outlets to bring more residents and businesses into its tax net.

Addressing journalists in Umuahia on Tuesday, information commissioner Okey Kanu said the enumeration would help the state to improve its internally generated revenue from N40 billion to N120 billion by the end of 2025.

“In the coming weeks, the state will begin a comprehensive enumeration of houses and businesses and these will be integrated with the Abia State Social Identification Number.

“Government will ensure equity in taxation and more importantly, it will serve as a gateway for Abia people to access vital social services,” he said.

Mr Kanu said the policy will enable residents to access government social services, assist in designing optimal economic policies, and help secure the state against criminal activities.

He urged the people of Abia to support Governor Alex Otti’s administration by paying their taxes. He informed residents that the comprehensive data capture of houses and businesses in the state would be integrated with the ABSSIN.

Finance commissioner Uwaoma Ukandu said the project would be at no cost to the Abia government because its technical partners were already benefiting from doing business with Abia.

Mr Ukandu said the enumeration would be done statewide, from urban to rural areas.

He said the government would use the enumeration to gather data for planning and to make people who did not pay taxes begin to pay taxes. 

(NAN)