By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja.
EXECUTIVE Chairman, Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KGIRS), Alhaji Sule Salihu Enehe, has said that the era of illegal tax and revenue collection in the state has come to an end in the state saying, “The Honeymoon is Over.”
Enehe who disclosed this at a Media briefing on Thursday in Lokoja said that the Service had put in place Security Joint Task Force to clamp down on all illegal revenue points and collectors in the state.
He described the prevalence of illegal tax collectors in the revenue generation process of the state government as constituting serious leakages which must be plotted for the state to improve its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR)
The Executive Chairman regretted the activities of the multiple illegal tax collectors saying that they aside being security threats, they constituted nuisance to the general public, comutters and motorists who ply roads in the state.
He said that he had written to all security agencies to help the Service enforce the drive towards clamping down all illegal tax collect collectors in the state.
Enehe said that the state in the twilight of the administration of Governor Yahaya Bello, through an Executive Bill, caused the state House of Assembly to amend the State Revenue Law and harmonized revenue collection in the state.
The passed Bill which was assented to by the the immediate past governor, Bello has criminalised illegal collection of tolls in the state and vested the sole authority of revenue collection in KGIRS.
“It is only in Kogi state that somebody, an individual or group, can create a toll gate to collect taxes. The new Revenue Harmonization Law has criminalized that,” he said.
According to the Executive Chairman, security agencies have also realized that the illegal toll collectors supply information to criminals just as they cause the price of commodities to soar as a result of the levies on transporters.
He said that removal of illegal Collections, especially the produce taxes, through implementation of the new Law would reduce the price of commodities and the attendant effect on the cost of living.
The Executive Chairman expressed optimism that staff of the Service would utilize their potentials to implemented the law, drive and achieve goals of the organization to sanitize tax collection in the state
He said in this regard, staff of the Service who would drive process were being motivated through, training, due promotions and other incentives.
Enehe revealed that as part of the measures to improve the revenue profile of the state, the Service would soon launch a device for registration and collection of taxes from Point of Sales (POS) operators in the state.
On the revenue profile and collection, Enehe said the Service generated N23 billion in 2023, and is expected to generate N30.4 billion this year as projected in the state budget.
He added that he was sure the Service would clinch the target through implementation of the Harmonization Law and blockage of all revenue leakages. (Ends)