By Wole Adedeji, Ilorin
A total number of 231 schools in Kwara State had put in for the 2023 Tax Club Quiz Competition, which attracts the sum of N2.5 million prize for the overall winning school.
The tax generation agency for the state, the Kwara State Inland Revenue Service, KW-IRS, had for about seven years been organising the competitions as a talent hunt for future accountants, revenue experts and auditors; an exercise that attracts cash prices in millions for the winning schools as well as other juicy prices for the pupils.
A statenent by the KW-IRS Head of Corporate Affairs, Titilayomi Ogunwale, in Ilorin, said that registrations, which was online, had closed since Wednesday, 17th May, 2023.
She revealed that the initiative is aimed at nurturing school children to have a clear understanding of the role of tax in the development of an economy and growing to become tax-compliant citizens.
She said, “All 231 schools that have expressed interest in this year’s tax competition would proceed to the preliminary rounds, which commence on Tuesday, June 20th, and end on Monday, 26th June 2023, across the three senatorial districts.
“Kwara North 1, which comprises schools in Baruten and Kaiama local government areas, meets at Ilesha Baruba for the preliminaries, while Kwara North 2, which has schools in Edu, Patigi, and Moro local government areas, would meet in Lafiagi for the preliminary rounds.
“Participating schools from Kwara South senatorial districts will gather at Okeya-Ipo High School for the preliminary rounds, while the KW-IRS CBT centre at its Phase III Office, in Ilorin, will host schools in Kwara Central senatorial district for the preliminary stages.
“The preliminary stages will produce the best six schools from each of the senatorial districts in the state to meet for the semi-final round; while the overall best six schools will compete in the final round of the 2023 KW-IRS Tax Quiz Competition, scheduled to take place on Thursday, 2nd November, 2023.
“A total number 231 schools that registered within the set time frame represents an exponential improvement over the 142 and 219 applicants in 2021 and 2022 editions respectively.”
