17th January, 2016
Jethro Ibileke/Benin
The management of the Edo State Board of Internal Revenue Service has threatened to press criminal charges against all federal agencies in the state that have failed to file their tax returns or defaulted in deductions and remittance of accurate taxes of members of staff to the coffers of the state.
The Executive Director (Tax Enforcement), of the Board, Mr. Emmanuel Usoh, announced this in Benin weekend at a one-day sensitisation programme for heads of federal MDAs in the state.
He disclosed that the revenue agency would not hesitate to press criminal charges against defaulting institutions in order to ensure that the state improves its revenue generation amidst the current economic downturn.
Usoh said “both individuals and federal MDAs, in particular, are defaulting. We also have individual debts grossing up over N1 billion for last year (2015). ”
Also speaking at the event, the Executive Chairman of the Board, Chief Oseni Elamah, called on all federal ministries, departments and agencies in the state to clear their tax debts, amounting to over N2 billion in arrears, being owed the state government for 2014 and 2015.
Elamah who was represented by the Executive Director (Tax Operations), Mr. John Obaze, explained that in spite of the provisions of relevant tax laws, some of the federal institutions outrightly failed to file their tax returns, while others defaulted in deductions and remittance of accurate taxes.
“If they all pay their taxes and file their returns accurately, there is no doubt that it will increase the revenue due to Edo State, because, as we speak, there are huge debts owed by federal MDAs from 2014 to 2015,” he said.