Dev’t levy: We want development spread evenly — Southern Kaduna youths

Many people in the southern senatorial district of Kaduna have called on the state government to spread projects evenly across the three senatorial districts of the state. The call is following a recent announcement by the state government that it will commence the collection of N1,000 development levy from residents by 2021. El-Rufai sues Omokri, […]

Many people in the southern senatorial district of Kaduna have called on the state government to spread projects evenly across the three senatorial districts of the state.

The call is following a recent announcement by the state government that it will commence the collection of N1,000 development levy from residents by 2021.

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• Why we are collecting N1,000 development levy- KADIRS

Arewa Trust Weekly reports that the Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service (KADIRS) had said the reason behind the levy was to motivate the people to be entrepreneurial instead of staying idle.

Augustine Baye, a resident of Kauru Local Government Area, however said the policy would exploit and marginalise the people who are struggling to fend for themselves and develop their communities as a result of government neglect.

“Looking at the ongoing development projects in the state, one will have no option but to conclude that it is skewed and so this government does not have the moral justification to impose levy on those that are not benefitting from its projects.

“Government lacks the moral power to levy citizens on development they neither felt nor touched, especially those from the southern part of Kaduna because it will be perceived as a deliberate effort of collecting their hard-earned resources to develop other areas, leaving part of the state inaccessible. Therefore, the idea should be rejected and condemned in its entirety.”

Gideon Habu Mutum, a resident of Jema’a Local Government Area, said  government was trying to muzzle N1,000 out of the citizens who have lived under security challenges for years.

He said it was inconsiderate to collect levy from the unemployed  majority in the state at a time the state was just coming out of the COVID-19 lockdown and faced with banditry and kidnapping challenges.

“The government should tell us what it has done with the loan it collected so far and where is the evidence of infrastructural, human or capital investment?”

But Adamu Muhammad Lawal said government should have concentrated on reviving the textile industry as well as setting up more companies to empower the youths.

“They are collecting levy from them. I think the best way of engaging the youths to be entrepreneurs is to empower them after training them in various skills and then collect taxes from them instead of collecting levy,” he said.

He said many of the citizens are suffering from economic hardships, as such government should review its decision and look for other ways to improve its revenue.