EKITI REVENUE CHIEF OLATONA RULES OUT TAX RATE HIKE, PROMISES FRIENDLY ENFORCEMENT, WIDER TAX NET

Ekiti State Internal Revenue Service Chairman, Mr Olaniran Olatona, has assured market women and small-scale business owners that no tax rate will be increased and that the service will operate strictly within the law.

He stated this on Monday in Ado Ekiti while speaking with journalists.Olatona said government is instead advocating more investment and business growth to expand the tax base so that the burden does not rest on a few people.

Mr Olatona explained that under the new law, earners below one million naira a month are tax-exempt and the service is ready to keep to that. He said those in the higher tax brackets, between five and seven percent, are expected to cooperate because the extra they pay is not significant enough to make life difficult for them, while those intentionally evading or dodging taxes will face stricter enforcement.

He disclosed that government will host magistrates and judges in charge of revenue courts for training to build a robust working relationship that will aid enforcement. He said the days of using chains are gone, and enforcement will now be as friendly as possible, with citizens expected to cooperate because of what Governor is doing with public funds.

In the last four years, Ekiti moved revenue from about 600 million naira to about 3 billion naira, and Mr Olatona said the target in the next four years is to double the current figure with help from God. He said the service is not after small businesses, adding that the big gains come from those who have not been paying before but are now coming into the tax net.

He urged the people to be sincere and transparent, saying heavy investment in technology means there is no hiding place for tax evaders. A taxpayer with ten shops in Ado who declares only one is not being fair, he said, stressing that government needs the money to take care of the aspirations and needs of the people.