Yusuf Umar-Kyautawa, chairman of the National Association of Commercial Motorcycles and Tricycle Riders in Sokoto, has pledged to remit N252 million as annual revenue generated by members to the government coffers.

Mr Umar-Kyautawa disclosed this at stakeholders’ forum on progressive taxation, organised by Rural Women and Youth Development (RUWOYD), in partnership with ActionAid Nigeria, on Wednesday in Sokoto.

The stakeholders’ forum is part of a project anchored by two non-governmental organisations.

The project is tagged ‘Tax Justice and Gender Responsive Public Service and Breaking Barriers project’, supported by Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) in Sokoto.

Mr Umar-Kyautawa expressed readiness to partner the revenue collection agency and office of the Special Adviser to Governor Aminu Tambuwal on Special Duties, Sa’idu Gumburawa, to actualise the goal.

In his keynote address, Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mainasara Ahmad, said equitable tax collection and administration are the backbone of government successes.

Mr Ahmad described the tax as a critical component of executing government programmes and services, noting that proper public awareness would facilitate enhanced collections and the execution of meaningful projects.

Commissioner for Finance, Abdussamad Dasuki, said transformations on tax collections, remodelling obsolete laws, and other initiatives would enable Sokoto to depend less on federal allocations.

Aminu Zurmi, the executive chairman, Sokoto Internal Revenue Service (SIRS), said transformations were recorded by the agency that comprised repealing tax laws, automated collections, and other enhanced regimes.

Mr Zurmi explained that the state and local government revenue collections were harmonised and properly shared according to stipulated regulations. He added that the agency ensured a single payment gateway and abolished cash collections at all levels.

(NAN)