Rivers Government suffocating businesses with illegal taxes

 From Chris Eze, Port Harcourt

Business operators in Rivers State are crying out over the multiple taxes being demanded of them by those claiming to be agents of the state and local government.

Investigations by our correspondent revealed that in some cases, the taxes being demanded by the authorities of the State government through the board of internal revenue are also being replicated at the local government areas.

The touts or agents claiming to be working for either the local government authorities or Board of Internal Revenue often barge into peoples’ business places in Gestapo style brandishing spurious demand notices asking for payments from N5,000 and above for different categories of taxes.

In most cases, the touts do not have any identity tags to authenticate their operations, but are often in a hurry to seize the articles of business operators in case of any default in payment.

Investigation also revealed that even though the minimum amount the touts often ask for is N5, 000, they are open to negotiation and can even in some cases bring the amount down to as low as N2, 000 depending on the bargaining power of their victims.

What is also curious about their operations is that they would never permit payment into designated government bank accounts; instead they prefer to be paid in cash and produce receipts bearing Rivers State Board of Internal Revenue or a particular local government area.

Our correspondent visited Eleme Local Government Area where it was reported that touts masquerading as agents of the local government and State Board of Internal Revenue are giving business operators in the area raw deal.

Among the demand notices sighted by our correspondent in the area include, Demand notice for Operational Permit, N5,000, Demand notice for Business Premises, N5,000 and Demand notice for Environmental Sanitation, N5,000.

Others within the purview of the State Board of Internal Revenue being demanded by the agents of Eleme Local Government include, Business Places Registration/Renewal, N5, 000 and Demand notice for Waste Basket.

Interestingly, those going about demanding money for waste basket have no basket anywhere to give to anybody. Everything would eventually end up in negotiation it was gathered.

Another serious lacuna discovered by our correspondent in the Demand notice for Waste Basket is that while categories of entities that would pay were listed, the approved amount for each was not given, allowing room for the agents or touts to use biro to fill in any amount which would trigger negotiation between them and their victims.

For instance, the column for amount to be paid for Business/Premise was filled with biro at N15, 000, but “Business/Premise” was typed.

Again, our correspondent observed that while a Demand notice for Business Premises 2024 was issued to a business operator in Eleme Local Government for N5, 000, when the collectors came for payment, the receipt they issued bore the insignia of the Rivers State Government, Ministry of Special duties, Rivers State Fire Service. On closer observation, it was also discovered that the receipt is a duplicate blue copy, and not the original white copy.

Meanwhile there is no fire station in Eleme nor in any local government in the state. In fact the state fire service is moribund with all the operational vehicles grounded at their office in Mile One, Port Harcourt.

In an interview with one of the revenue agents in Eleme who pleaded anonymity, he confessed that they are not working for Eleme Local Government, but for “One Oga” who recruited them to work for him on behalf of Eleme Local Government. He said that is why no one is allowed to pay money into any government bank account.

Some business operators who spoke to the Oracle Today in Eleme lamented the activities of fake revenue agents unleashed on them by the authorities of Eleme Local Government Council.

They called for a harmonized system of paying taxes with amount due clearly stated to save them from undue exploitation by the revenue agents.

They also called on the state and local government to float their revenue bank accounts to enable them pay directly into government coffers all approved revenue or taxes.

Our correspondent called the phone numbers of the Executive chairman of State Board of Internal Revenue floated on one of the demand notices +234(0)9087900031 and 907900034, but the numbers were said to be incorrect.

The state Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara recently disclosed that the state’s internally generated revenue which stood at  13 billion monthly during the previous administration has now risen to about N27 billion.