Ebonyi State Government said that over 25 persons have been arrested in the state for alleged involvement in the illegal collection of tolls from motorists across the state.
The state commissioner for transport and special duties, Prince Igboke Collins, made the disclosure in Abakaliki while speaking on the state government’s efforts to curb double taxation and illegal task force teams.
“The arrests are part of the state government’s broader efforts to address the issue of double taxation that is seriously affecting motorists in the state. The government is trying to reduce the double taxation that motorists are passing through.
“We are working hard to make sure there is peace in the transport sector and for the people to have trust in what the current administration is doing,” he said.
The commissioner further explained that his office had taken proactive steps to identify and eliminate illegal toll collections.
“We went to the Board of Internal Revenue to furnish our office with the list of contractors awarded transport-related contracts.
“We then called a meeting with all contractors and local government representatives, ordering that any contractor involved in transport should register with us,” he said.
“We have identified about 27 illegal toll collection points. Some of them we have arrested and are currently prosecuting them. For those who have genuine contract with government we will also look at the revenue chart to know if what they are collecting tallies with what the revenue generation white paper is saying,” he added.
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