The Delta government says it is committed to implementing strategies and action plans for improving the Ease of Doing Business in the state.
The Commissioner for Finance, Mr Fidelis Tilije, said this during a town hall meeting in Asaba. on Wednesday.
The meeting was organised in collaboration with the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) and members of the Organised Private Sector.
Tilije said that the state was focusing on creating a conducive environment for both local and foreign investors.
The commissioner stated that some of the plans put in place by the government for ease of doing business include automated tax billing, faster land registration, agricultural value chain development, and enforcement of the state anti-kidnapping law for improved security, among others.
Similarly, Tilije noted that the automated central billing system had eliminated multiple taxations and extortion, with only the revenue service authorised to issue demand notices on behalf of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
Also, the Director-General of the Delta Investment Development Agency (DIDA), Anthony Elekeokuri, said that the meeting aimed to intimate stakeholders on measures put in place to create an enabling environment for investments and businesses to thrive.
Elekeokuri explained that the state’s land documentation process had been automated, allowing for online applications for Certificates of Occupancy and other government land documents.
The Executive Director (Operations) of the State Internal Revenue Service, Mr. Frank Nwaugo, said that with the central billing system, the issue of multiple taxation and extortion was being addressed.
Nwaugo added that only the revenue service had the sole right to issue demand notices on behalf of MDAs.
The meeting provided a platform for private sector associations to express their concerns and challenges in doing business in the state.
The associations raised issues such as improved power supply, good road networks to facilitate the transportation of goods, and multiple taxation, among others, which the government promised to look into.
Members of associations present at the meeting included the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), and the National Association of Exporters.
