Benue Moves against Tax Defaulters, Plans Review of Tax Laws

George Okoh in Makurdi

Following the criticisms that greeted some of the tax laws promulgated by the immediate past administration in Benue state, the Governor Samuel Ortom led administration has indicated its plan to review such laws to give it a human face.

The Executive Chairman of the Benue Internal Revenue Service, BIRS, Mrs. Mimi Adzape-Orubibi, who made this known recently in Makurdi said the decision was in line with the yearning of the people and the humane disposition of the present administration in the state.

She said: “Taxation is for the benefit of the people but it has become obvious that some of the laws that were passed by the last administration were harsh and not in tandem with the economic realities of the time.

“Just recently we tested the people’s views on such laws like the generator and borehole taxes and we found out that the people reacted negatively to it.

“That law was not the creation of the present administration but the previous one, so in line with the present administration’s disposition towards governance we felt that there should be a review but for us to do that it has to go through the process of legislation.

“We will therefore approach the House of Assembly for a possible amendment so that the laws will have a human face and by so doing encourage the people to willingly pay their taxes as at when due.”

Orubibi who said the Board had already approached the judiciary to provide it with a special court to try tax defaulters said all efforts had been put in place to ensure that all taxable adults in the state were encouraged to pay their taxes without being made to face prosecution.