In a bid to capture more people in the tax net and boost its revenue, the Gombe State Internal Revenue Service (GIRS) is reportedly planning to expand its tax payers’ register to include religious institutions, residents, cattle rearers and others. The move has attracted wide-spread criticisms.
According to a statement published on the official Facebook page of the service, about 50 different taxes and levies would be jointly collected by the state government in conjunction with local governments’ revenue committees.
The various taxes to be paid by the citizens, according to the statement, included but not limited to; Open Air Preaching Permit Fee, which will attract N5,000, Establishment of Religious Centres Fee, N10,000, Marriage Registration Fee, N5,000, Birth Registration Fee, N2,000.
Others include Dog License, N1,000, Residential Radio and TV Fee, N1,000, Bicycle License Fee, N1,000, Wheelbarrow/Cart Fee, N500, Canoe License Fee, 1,500, Livestock, 1,000, Stalls, 12,000, Cow/Camel slaughter, N500 (per head), Restaurant/Bakeries Permit, N25,000, Billboards, N150,000 and Sanitation Fee (Residential), N3,000 among others.
Various reactions trailing the new tax policies heterogeneously described it as insensitive and ill-timed, in view of the precarious economic situation that many citizens are facing especially, at this period when the Coronavirus pandemic worsened the economic situation of many families.
While reacting, Malam Maikudi, popularly known as Na-Bolari, a Wheelbarrow pusher in Gombe main market said “I heard about it some days ago. I thought it was a jock until I heard it again in the media. It’s surprising that a government that do not spent the monies they are receiving from Abuja prudently, still have the mind to impose levy on us ? This is what I do to feed myself and my family and settle other bills, even though I suffered severely to get up to one thousand naira daily.
Also, commenting on Open Air Preaching Fee, a renowned Islamic scholar and Imam of a Juma’at Mosque in Tumfure, Imam Mu’awiyya Muhammad Bello said he can’t understand the wisdom behind imposing tax on preachers as preaching is not a business on which one can rely and earn a living.
He added that if preachers are not paid for what they do to the society, they shouldn’t be asked to pay the government before they preach because according to him, they are helping the government in educating the population on the importance of living in peace with one another, patriotism, and loyalty to the government.
“It’s unwise to impose tax on preaching because it is not a business or craft. Nobody is practicing for the purposes of earning money. It’s an invitation to the path of God and promoting peace and national integration. So, if preachers are not paid for what they do, they shouldn’t be asked to pay tax for preaching because they are helping the government in controlling the population.
“Whenever there are tensions in town they beg us to preach to the people to live in peace. During voters registration they beg us to preach to the people to go out and register. When they have immunizations or something they want the people to accept they beg us to call the attention of our followers. We do all these free of charge, because we felt that it’s good to do so. The government should have a rethink on this because they got it wrong.” He said
Facebook was also awashed with criticism over the new law.
Reacting on the development, Mal. Safiyanu DM, a student of Political Science in Federal University Kashere and social media commentator, said while it’s the responsibility of every responsible government to device diverse means of improving its revenue, it’s also equally important for the government to put into cognizance, the harsh economic realities many families are facing so as not to add salt to their injuries.
“It’s good for every responsible government to find ways of increasing its revenues, especially the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of which that of Gombe state has always been poor for decades which the present government is devising means of improving it. It’s indeed a nice move in the right direction.
“But the harmonized Local Government Taxes proposed by the Gombe State Internal Revenue Service led by Abubakar Inuwa Tata is not a policy to welcome at all at this very time. Items on the list as read by many of us here on this platform will only have direct impact on the common man who is now hustling and striving to put a meal, once or twice a day for his family. One can only understand this when he enters remote settlements where poverty is at full display.” Culled from Safiyanu’s Facebook post.
Meanwhile, in his reaction, the executive chairman of Gombe state Board of Internal Revenue Services, Abubakar Inuwa Tata, disclosed to Daylight Reporters that the new tax law is not ready for implementation, considering the economy situation caused by the novel coronavirus.
Tata explained that the new tax law is to ensure transparency and accountability in the tax collection process as captured in the document.
He explained that among the aims of the new tax law is to eradicate multiple taxes in the state and also to educate the tax payers on what to pay, how to pay and where to pay their taxes.
“It has come to our notice that some people are parading themselves as tax collectors and this is part of what the new tax law will be looking at.” Tata said.
The executive chairman of Gombe state Board of Internal Revenue Services disclosed this during a phone interview with our reporter, while explaining that the revenue board through the help of the state government had itemized some areas on how to relief the tax payers in the face of the pandemic.
