PRIVATE FIRM, ZEND TECHNOLOGIES POISED TO FACILITATE TAX COLLECTION IN DELTA STATE; AS CEO, VICTOR KALU AFFIRMS ‘TAX COMPLIANCE IS ‘90% IN PLACES WHERE NIGERIANS JAPA’
By Oki Samson, Trek Africa Newspaper
Taxation is a fundamental economic practice through which the federal and subnational government raise revenue to finance their programs and projects. It can be tough to get Nigerians, especially those in the informal sector, to pay. Governments must therefore rethink strategies to enable the citizenry pay their tax duly and appropriately.
To achieve its 12-billion naira MORE Agenda target this year, the Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s Delta State Government through the Delta State Internal Revenue Service engaged ZEND Technologies Ltd., a global tech solutions firm to drive its tax compliance system. The company is particularly suited to help informal sector businesses to pay taxes using its patented technology, Trek Africa Newspaper can report.
The Managing Director/CEO of Zend Technologies Ltd., Victor Kalu in this exclusive interview with Trek Africa Newspaper opined that ‘People misunderstand taxation. If you have gone to business school or run business for a long time, you will know that the success of your business depend on external factors in the environment you live in, how many of us are crying that FX is high today?’
‘Tax is a factor that makes government able to make the environment conducive for you to make money. So paying tax is important. The environment that Nigerians japa to have tax compliance that is as high as 90%, everybody pay taxes. Tax evasion is a serious crime. Our country is largely informal sector about 65% but less than 15% of us pay taxes. So how do you expect us to develop? Do you know that there are states that collect less than 50billion naira as tax per annum, what do you want to do with that, how many roads can you build, how many trains can you buy?
On the task that his organization, Zend Technologies Ltd has been saddled with, Kalu stated: ‘We work with the Delta State Board of Internal Revenue to collect taxes and revenue from the informal sector in Oshimili North and Oshimili South LGAs, the state capital and its environs.’
‘Our appointment started on 1st January 2024. The Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori is right on track. We thank him for his ambitious vision. The 12 billion naira target is achievable, the resources are there, all we need is his support and backing to empower the people and to provide ease of access to paying tax.’
‘With our technology, you don’t have to get to Bank to pay your tax, we have converted your Tax ID to bank account just as some have their phone numbers as bank account. Your POS operators can simply send your taxes and you will see your tax record by SMS. It is the first of its kind in Nigeria’, he asserted.
On how the Delta State Government can support Zend’s efforts, Kalu told Trek Africa Newspaper that ‘the government can do more in terms of enlightenment and awareness about the MORE agenda. We are trying to accelerate the MORE agenda but the government needs to remind citizens of the agenda and their roles and also show what they are doing so that citizens will be motivated’.
