Don't see taxes as punishment, says Uduaghan

By The Rainbow

Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, has urged Nigerians, especially people of Delta State, not to see  payment of taxes by individuals and organisations as  a punishment.

According to the  governor ,  it is part of citizens' civil responsibilities to the development of society.

Uduaghan, who spoke during the inauguration of  the State Board of Internal Revenue in Asaba on Saturday, said that the government was only enforcing the laws as entrenched in the constitution and urged Nigerians to pay their taxes regularly to sustain infrastructural development.

He said, 'The payment of taxes is not a form of punishment on citizens but a civic and moral responsibility which all citizens should willingly exercise. We should all pay our taxes and expect returns on the taxes through sustained tempo of the provision of infrastructure in all sectors of the economy.

'In all societies, taxes are necessary to prop government's revenue and shore up its expenditure, especially now that the world is coming to terms with the dire consequences of global economic meltdown.'