Group Alleges Illegal Tax Collection In Benue

A pressure and non-profit group, the Benue Advocate for Good Governance has called on the state governor to immediately intervene and stop the illegal tax collection by untrained persons in some parts of the state.

In an open letter to the state governor Hyacinth Alia, the group expressed dismay that touts are still collecting revenue on behalf of Benue Internal Revenue Service (BIRS) in connivance with some staff of the revenue agency.

“We also discovered that receipts are being reprinted and sold with the money going to private pockets. This is going on especially at Zaki Biam, Katsina-ala, Ugba and Vandeikya check points.

“We also discovered with great dismay that one Sonter Biam is the arrow man in charge of collecting this illegal monies, the aforementioned Biam has never been a staff of the board of internal revenue therefore he has no justification to be involved in tax collection.

“We have been reliably informed that one Asese who is a staff of the board is the one who collects the said proceeds on behalf of his ‘boss’ through the help of the area tax officers,” Tersoo Abagi and Inelagwu Adakole said in a joint statement that was issued on behalf of the association.

The group observed that the unwholesome activities have negative impact on the state’s image and the eruption of leakages, high level diversion of state revenue into private pockets and resulting in a decline of revenue generation for the state.

“Judging from the dilapidated income of the state at a time we are in dare need of funds to function, any act of revenue diversion and sabotage should be totally discouraged and frowned at,” the group stated.

The letter titled: “An open Letter to the Executive Governor of Benue State on the Illegalities at the Board of Internal Revenue Under the acting chairman.”

The group recommended a holistic overhaul of the board of internal revenue services.

The pressure group urged the governor to urgently shop for a competent, reliable and dependable resource person who is vast in forensic auditing and has a considerable knowledge of modern techniques of revenue generation as a possible replacement.

The Benue Advocate for Good Governance said the acting chairman cannot and will never reach the least amount his predecessor ever generated, “and we urge you to compare what he has so far generated since assumption of office as the acting chairman and see for yourself if we are being irrational here.”