Members of Ebonyi State Board of Internal Revenue (IRB) and men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have arrested five suspected illegal revenue collectors at the International Market, Abakaliki, the state capital.
The suspects who were arrested during a raid at the market were picked up in different locations collecting illegal tax from market women.
LEADERSHIP gathered that items recovered from them includes some booklets of receipts and cash they collected from women and children selling sachet water, vegetables and other petty items.
There was jubilation at the market during the raid as the petty traders had raised the alarm over the illegal revenue collection by persons parading as government revenue collectors.
Some of the women told LEADERSHIP that the fake officials collect between N50 and N100 daily from them, or seize their goods pending when they pay.
The leader of the revenue board team, Emmanuel Elechi, said the arrest of the suspects was based on incessant violation of Governor Nwifuru’s directive on exempting petty traders and vegetable sellers from revenue payment.
“We are determined to flush out illegal revenue collectors who are bent on tarnishing the image of the board. We must adhere strictly to the directive of the governor to allow the petty traders and vegetable sellers to do their business without paying tax.
“Our governor, in his wisdom, knows what the poor are going through and decided to reduce the hardship, but some people are sabotaging the gesture in a bid to enrich themselves.
“We cannot tolerate that, we shall continue to arrest them and prosecute them,” to serve as deterrent to others,” he said.
The board also flagged off the automation of e-ticketing for commercial motorcycles and tricycle operators to checkmate crime and close revenue leakages in the state.
The exercise was flagged off by the chairman of the State Revenue Board, Chief Christopher Omo-Isu.
The board chairman maintained that profiling commercial motorcycles and tricycles in the state will reduce crime and stop double taxation.
“The new innovation will reduce touting in the markets, streets and major roads of the state as the operators are expected to go to the different registration points to register within two weeks after which enforcement will commence.
“Any commercial motorcyclist or tricycle operator that uses it to commit a crime will be traced, arrested and prosecuted. It will reduce crime in the state,” he said.
He urged the people of the state to adopt the new system, which would bring sanity and safety to the revenue drive and reduce the fight between the touts and the cyclists.
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