Abia Government's Tax Changes Aim for Fairness, Not Higher Costs for Citizens

The Abia State Government has announced that its new tax reforms aim to boost transparency, accountability, and efficiency in collecting revenue. The goal is not to put more financial pressure on residents.

The Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, made this statement while talking to reporters at the Government House in Umuahia after the State Executive Council meeting on Monday.

Kanu explained that these tax reforms are part of the current administration's larger plan to change government institutions, processes, and structures for better service delivery.

He noted that the reforms are about making the tax system more transparent, traceable, auditable, automated, and friendly for taxpayers.

"In the past, we had processes that were independently operated. This allowed for manual handling, middlemen, arbitrary practices, and poor accountability.

"The new system aims to fix these issues. Under the new system, the State Board of Internal Revenue is working to automate and integrate the processes.

"This will help taxpayers understand exactly what they are being asked to pay, why they need to pay that amount, and how to pay it through government-approved channels.

"Automation is not about increasing taxes. Transparency is not about increasing taxes. Closing revenue leakages is not about increasing taxes," he said.

Kanu also mentioned that these reforms have faced some pushback from certain groups. He pointed out that people who benefit from the old system often resist change.

Despite this, he assured that the state government would keep managing taxes according to its view of taxation as the government's fair share of the wealth it helps create for its citizens.