Popular Kaduna social media enthusiast, Steven Kefas, has said that the Nasir el-Rufa’i-led adminstration lacks the moral standing to tax its citizens 1, 000 Naira development levy, due to the high level of insecurity that is bedeviling the state.
Kefas, who took to his Twitter Handle, @kadirs_info yesterday, stated that if the state Government cannot protect the lives and properties of its citizens, then there’ll be no need for anyone to pay the one thousand Naira development levy, adding that if the government persists, the citizens would have no choice than to take the matter to court.
It would be recalled that the State government, through the Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service (KADIRS) on Wednesday said it would commence full implementation of the annual development levy in 2021, which will mandate every taxable adult resident in Kaduna state to pay an annual development levy of N1, 000. This is contained in Section 9 (2) of the Kaduna State Tax Codification and Consolidation law 2020.
The Executive Chairman of the agency, Dr. Zaid Abubakar, said the contribution would serve as their contribution to transforming the infrastructure of the state and in repositioning the economy. However, residents condemned the development, saying it amounted to an additional burden on residents who have faced an economically turbulent year.
Also, it could be recalled that Kaduna State generated N44 billion in 2019, surpassing its initial target of N43bn and the highest internally generated revenue (IGR) collection in the history of the State. The National Bureau of Statistics, (NBS), had rated the State as 6th in terms of IGR for 2019, the highest in the north apart from the FCT; but many say to achieve the feat, residents are being over-taxed.
