Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, on Monday, in Yola, the state capital, launched the electronic capturing and issuance of tax identification numbers to check tax evasion.
At the launching, Nyako said the initiative was to register eligible tax payers and identify non-compliance in the state.
He commended the Joint Tax Board (JTB) for coming up with the tax identification numbering of tax payers.
The governor reminded the state’s residents that it was the civic responsibility of every patriotic citizen of any country to pay tax.
Nyako said the prompt payment of tax would enhance the revenue base of the state to provide more social amenities to the people.
“The new initiative of issuing tax identification numbers to taxable citizens of the country is a positive development.
“This will empower the citizenry to question the siting and non-siting of projects and also enthrone accountability,’’ he said.
Nyako decried the stoppage of the payment of cattle tax, also known as Jangali tax, in the northern part of the country immediately after the 1967 to 1970 Civil War.
“It was a setback to the region,’’ the governor said.
He said the country had over-relied on oil as its only source of revenue and urged the need to diversify to other key sectors like agriculture and technology.
Earlier, Alhaji Ahmed Tuta, the Executive Chairman of the state’s Board of Internal Revenue, said Adamawa had already acquired the latest machines for the exercise.
