Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has cautioned revenue officers in the state against collecting taxes from vegetable sellers and other petty traders.
Mr. Nwifuru gave the warning in a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Monday Uzor, in Abakaliki during the swearing-in of members of the Revenue Appeal Commission in the state on Wednesday.
The governor asked revenue officers to refrain from tax collection from vegetable sellers, calling it an inhumane practice.
“There is no reason to collect tax from people selling their farm produce in the local markets; I want you to go for big, big business owners.
“I have told the Revenue Service, I don’t want you to go to the village markets and collect tax from vegetable sellers.
“I don’t see reasons why we should be taxing people who are selling what they got from their farms,” he advised.
Mr. Nwifuru urged the chairperson of the Revenue Service and Appeal Commission, Augustine Nwankwegu, and other members to go about their duties with a human face to improve the Internally Generated Revenue of the state and not step on the toes of the people.
“I don’t want shouting, I don’t want closing people’s shops. You have to look at the people’s shops and tax them based on what they have. Everything is all about negotiations,” he said.
Mr Nwankwegu, who spoke on behalf of the appointees, thanked the governor and assured him that the revenue service would work hard to improve the revenue of the state as well as the ease of doing business in the state.
