By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
Forty persons are to be prosecuted by the Cross River State Anti-Tax Agency for their alleged involvement in extorting money from petty traders on the guise of tax collection.
The illegal tax collectors were also alleged to have intimidated and harassed tricycle operators and taxi drivers against warnings of the state government, who made pronouncement that it has granted tax relief to low income earners.
Chairman of the state Anti-Tax Agency, Bishop Dr. Emmah Isong, disclosed this in Calabar yesterday while fielding questions from journalists on the giant stride recorded by the agency since inauguration last year, during the one year anniversary/stakeholders’ workshop, organised by the agency.
Isong stated that the agency would not relent in confronting these people giving the state government bad image, despite warnings that it would clamp down on perpetrators of this act.
Isong, who is also a patron of the South-South zone of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, averred that the agency has made modest achievements in its one year of existence and has succeeded in creating awareness about the pandemic of illegal taxes in the state, said, “We have confronted thousands of illegal tax activities in the state.
“With very swift operations, with joint security forces we have made not less than 40 arrests. Because the judiciary is on strike, the suspects are pending arraignment.
“We hope this will serve as a strong deterrent to those who are still perpetrating this shylock, oppressive and anti-Ayade activity.”
Among other 10 achievements, which Isong claimed the agency had made within the past 12 months include: encouraging small and medium scale businesses by taking the tax burden off them; creating the Anti-Tax Brigade and appointing volunteer Marshalls to undertake enforcement, in conjunction with other security agencies.
Others are: working with the state judiciary to set up special courts to try offenders; as well as retaining legal experts to institute civil actions against defaulting tax consultants.
In his remarks, the secretary of the agency, Rev. Fr. Julius Ada, stressed that the philosophy behind the creation of the agency is to build a better future for the people of the state, adding that the agency is working on strategic plans that will help fuel the state’s economy and the target is to achieve zero taxation in food production before 2021 elapsed.
However, the agency’s Legal Adviser, Barr. Williams Anwan, stated that three magistrates have been assigned to the agency by the state government to deal with issue that would border on the legality of the agency.
He maintained that illegal taxation is one economic crime that the agency would not fold its hands to watch, but will go extra mile to deal with the matter; stressing that some persons found wanting and convicted would be deployed to farms, so that the energy they used to extort the people would be ploughed into the cultivation of agricultural produces.
