The media should lead the campaign for citizens to pay taxes, as social good.
The Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Muhammad Nami, gave the charge at the 40th birthday colloquium and book presentation of Mr. Kelechi Okoronkwo, a staff of the agency, in Abuja, yesterday.
According to him, “The power of the media to educate, to inform, to enlighten and ignite must be channeled for social good. Paying taxes by citizens is a social good.
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“When citizens pay their taxes they empower the government with the resources to provide development for the country.
“The media has a duty to be at the forefront of informing and enlightening citizens on their obligations and responsibilities under tax laws, while creating a channel of conversation and dialogue between government and the citizens, where citizens can demand for accountability of their tax moneys, while government in turn shows proof of use.
“It is through this that the efforts of development, peace, security and economic prosperity can be achieved in our society.
“To be socially responsible means that you should use your media outlets to encourage what is good for the society and discourage what is bad for the society.”
He added, “Media owners must begin to see that their roles to society go beyond the agenda of wealth creation, but must see the inherent duty their platforms have towards enabling a stable, working and growing country.”
The theme of the colloquium was the social responsibility of the media.
Mr. Okoronkwo said that he was motivated by the enormous responsibilities on the media, to write the book, “The Spokesman.”
