BIRS Dismisses Existence Of Tax Racketeers In The Service

The Benue Internal Revenue Services, BIRS, has dismissed as completely false the purported existence of a tax racketeering syndicate being spearheaded by the acting Chairman of the service and selected staff to defraud the state as alleged by a group known as Benue Advocate for Good Governance, BAGG.
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Recall that the BAGG in a recent open letter to Governor Hyacinth Alia jointly signed by Tersoo Abagi and Inelagwu Adakole, drew the attention of the Governor to what it termed the unwholesome illegal activities going on at the BIRS.
The group in the letter claimed among others that “we discovered with great dismay that touts are still collecting revenue on behalf of BIRS office with connivance of some BIRS staff. We also discovered that receipts are being reprinted and sold with the money going to private pockets. This is going on especially at Zaki Biam, Katsina-ala, Ugba and Vandeikya checkpoints.”
The group insisted that the illegality was being perpetrated “under the watchful eyes of the acting Chairman and some other key officials in your government who are bent on sabotaging your efforts towards building the Benue of our dreams.
But reacting, the Acting Chairman of BIRS, Mr. Emmanuel Agema in a statement issued in Makurdi by his Media Assistant Jacintha Benard, described the allegation as baseless and aimed at discrediting the hard work of staff of the service who face all hazards associated with task of revenue collection.
The statement recalled that not long ago “the state government inaugurated a task force on illegal mining, logging and road block to check these illegalities;” stressing that “the fight against this miscreants, who have identified revenue collection as their avenue of criminality, has been ongoing.
“Just recently, the acting chairman met with leaders of the Task Force to synergise on modalities to eradicate illegal roadblocks on our roads. It is therefore, abysmal that a group advocating for good governance would be this uninformed.
“The Chairman, has repeatedly reiterated his zero tolerance to operators of illegal checkpoint and vehemently frowns against issuance of fake receipts, extortion of the taxpayers, and particularly the collection of unreceipted monies at the various Inspection/Monitoring points. The Chairman, is focused and determined to use every lawful measures for tax collection and remittance owing to the fact that taxation is law.
“Recall also that, just after the Chairman’s appointment by the Governor, he inaugurated a Tasksforce Team made up of BIRS staff and security personnel who are saddled with the responsibility of monitoring revenue collections, ensuring compliance, halting tax evaders.
“So far, the Team has recorded some successes, they have made some arrests of illegal checkpoint operators in Vandeikya, Kastina-Ala, Otukpa, Howe, and North Bank areas. Some of the culprits have been arraigned and remanded. The team has also dismantled illegal checkpoints at Amaafu and Gungul.
“It is worthy of note that the Chairman was appointed on June 22, 2023 and resumed office on June 25. He is little over a month in office and so far, he is doing excellently well in the discharge of his duties in ensuring optimal revenue generation for the state to support the governor in achieving the crucial mandate of developing the state.”
The Service appealed to Governor Alia and Benue people to discountenance the said open letter as it was fraught with lies and falsehood aimed at tarnishing the image of the hardworking staff and management of BIRS.