Bunmi AdulojuThe Nigeria Governors’ Forum has launched a public finance database that will allow citizens to easily filter and analyse states’ fiscal data and information.
“On strengthening public legitimacy for tax collection, we have improved the transparency not just around tax revenues but the entire treasury,” he said.“Today, our budgets and audited financial statements are not just publicly available but also in citizen-friendly versions. This will be supported by the NGF public finance database which we will be launching today.
According to him, the innovation spearheaded the increase in the 2021 IGR from N1.3 trillion in 2019 to N1.67 trillion in 2021. “Our pursuit to do things differently has benefitted from the relentless efforts of our state officials, technical assistance programmes within our secretariat and partners’ support. Your collaboration and support have ensured we stay the course of implementation, delivering far-reaching reforms, which have yielded the results we see today.
“Beyond the laws and regulations, we have passed, we must occasionally by policy respond to the fast-changing tax environment, if we must stay ahead of evasion and avoidance tactics. We recognise the need to support our internal revenue services and continue to empower them with the necessary political support and financial resources required for them to execute their mandate effectively. We remain committed to keeping this pact.
NGFSecretariat