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The Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KGIRS) has vowed to clampdown on individuals or group engaging in illegal revenue collections in the state.
Executive Chairman, KGIRS, Alh. Salihu Enehe, stated this during a press conference on the agency’s activities on Thursday in Lokoja.
He said that the recent Amended Revenue Harmonisation Law 2023, accented to by the immediate past Governor, Alh. Yahaya Bello, empowered KGIRS to solely collect taxes and revenue in the state.
Enehe said that necessary plans had been put in place to clampdown heavily on illegal revenue collectors in the state.
“The issue of road block by illegal revenue collectors is very sad; it is only in Kogi that you see an individual or association creating a toll gate to exploit unsuspecting citizens in the name of revenue collections.
“With the realisation of the new amended revenue harmonisation law, the KGIRS will be coming down heavily on those illegal revenue collectors.
“Henceforth, I can assure that you will begin to see our full actions on those illegal revenue collectors blocking roads across the state.
“I assure you that the service will plug all the revenue leakages; no illegal revenue collectors would be allowed to operate anymore in the state,” he said.
He pointed out that aside the loss of revenue accrual to the state, the illegal revenue collectors also constitute security threats to the state.
The chairman said that KGIRS would be collaborating with the security agencies to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators.
He said that the state government had directed all Ministries Department and Agencies to halt the engagement of consultants to collect revenue, saying that the KGIRS had solely been mandated to collect all revenues.
According to him, the agency’s officials are well motivated with promotion and other incentives to drive the process of revenue collection.
The chairman noted that KGIRS generated about N23 billion in 2023, representing 94 per cent of the budgetary revenue target for the year.
He expressed optimism that the agency would surpass its N34 billion budgetary mandate for 2024.
Enehe, therefore, solicited the cooperation and support of citizens with assurances that KGIRS would carry out it activities without muzzling citizens in the cause of its operation.
He urged the citizens to endeavour to fulfill their civic responsibility by paying their taxes correctly to the relevant tax authority.
The chairman assured the citizens that the Gov. Ahmed Ododo-led administration would fulfill all campaign promises made to the people.
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