By SUSAN EDEH

Bauchi—Bauchi State Board of Internal Revenue, BSBIR, yesterday said it generated about N6 billion between May 2011 and June this year.

The BSBIR also said it was implementing the electronic tax payer-registration system in the state to bring about 150,000 new tax payers from the informal sector before the end of this year.

Chairman of the Board, Mu’azu Musa made this known while briefing newsmen on achievements of his board in the last one year.

Musa said, “we are making it mandatory that every tax payer must have an identification number. We have instructed corporate organisations that henceforth, any individual or organisation that wishes to transact business with them must have tax payers registration cards.

’’We are doing this to have information of everybody that pays tax. We want to know who they are and what they do for a living and already we have reached an advanced stage on the issue of the electronic tax payers’ registration.’’

According to Musa, the exercise would provide an opportunity to register and issue tax payers’ identification numbers and also widen the data base even as the board would soon visit all the ministries in the state to ensure the registration of civil servants under the e-tax payment system in line with global best practices.

Meanwhile, Musa added that the state government had approved the award of contract for the computerization of the board through an Integrated Tax Administration Solution, ITAS, that would cover all business processes such as registration of tax payers, filing of returns, assessment; collection and remittances.

On staff welfare, Mu’azu said that the board recruited 85 new workers including 55 graduates and 30 junior staff last year, just as it implemented a new remuneration package for the staff, apart from their participation in the contributory pension scheme.