The Cross River Internal Revenue Service (CRIRS) has conducted a road show along the 8 Miles axis and its environs in the state capital as part of its ongoing Tax Education and Enlightenment mandate.
The initiative aimed to raise awareness about the importance of tax payment in driving community and state development.
Speaking to the media, the Executive Chairman, CRIRS, Prince Edwin Okon, Ph.D., emphasized the critical role of taxes in funding government projects. “This is not just a walk; it’s an awareness campaign to remind citizens of the need to pay their taxes. These funds enable the government to drive development across communities and the state,” Okon said. He highlighted recent state government approvals for road construction and hospital renovations as examples of projects reliant on taxpayer contributions.
Okon urged residents to utilize the CRIRS Tax Office at 147 Ikpai Omin, beside Poly Clinic, 8 Miles, for inquiries and payments, rather than traveling to the state headquarters. He also announced that creating a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) is free, encouraging citizens to obtain theirs, as it will soon be required for accessing essential services.
The CRIRS Chairman stressed transparency, warning taxpayers against making payments to individuals and directing them to use designated government accounts for all tax remittances. He called for support from the public, government, non-governmental organizations, and faith-based groups to sustain the agency’s sensitization efforts.
The campaign underscores CRIRS’s commitment to fostering a tax-compliant culture to support Cross River State’s development goals.
