Executive Chairman Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS), Shade Omoniyi, Tuesday, said the agency was evolving measures to change the thinking of students in a bid to inculcate culture of tax payment in them.
To demonstrate its seriousness, the agency has rewarded winner of 2021 inspired tax club competition among secondary school students with a cash prize of N2.5 million.
Speaking to journalists on the sideline of 2021 inspired tax club quiz competition organised amongst secondary school students in Kwara state, Omoniyi said the motive of the competition was to inculcate importance of taxation in them at tender age.
She said the agency was particularly working to change the DNA of the students so they can also influence their parents and guardians to fulfill their tax obligation.
“Most times, when we talk to taxpayers about their responsibilities, they always claim that they are not even aware that they are supposed to do some of these things. So, what we are trying to do is to change the DNA of our people generally, right from the grassroots and from the younger ones so that by the time they grow up, we wouldn’t have to go through what we are going through now.
“Advocacy has been taking to the secondary schools and we expect that the students would also use this medium to speak about the advocacy with their parents and educate them better.
“While we are identifying good students, we are also using it as a form of advocacy to push the narration as far as taxation is concerned,” she said.
The winner of the competition, Stepping Stone College, Ilorin, got a cash reward of N2.5 million after emerging first with 26 points and additional six points.
He beat Eucharistic Heart of Jesus School, Ilorin who also scored 26 points but with additional two points
but with additional two points at the last phase of the encounter.
Eucharistic school came second while the Government Secondary School, Ilesha-Baruba, Baruten local government area of the state claimed the third position with 24 points. The Apostolic Church School came fourth with 22 points.
The deputy governor, Mr Kayode Alabi, who represented Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq at the event, particularly expressed delight over the impressive performance of Government Secondary School, Ilesha-Baruba.
He said the school’s performance, being a public school, was a pointer to the fruit of restoration agenda of the government in public schools.
