Anambra Begins Arrest Of Tax Evaders This Week

Tax evaders in Anambra state are to face hard times as government has concluded plans to arrest and prosecute defaulters with effect from this week.

Chairman of the state Board of Internal Revenue (BIR) Ejikeme Nwanne today stated this while addressing newsmen on the revenue profile of the state.

He said government decision followed the age long culture of the people of the state to evade tax thereby stalling certain developmental projects that could be executed with the state internal generated revenue.

"Very soon we will embark on operation show your tax and failure to do so, we will arrest and prosecute you. It has become a culture where people do not pay tax. People believe that money come from Abuja for the development of the state. But this is not a good mind set.

“The truth is that we need IGR to develop the state which tax contributes a lot to.And that is why we are re- educating on the need for them to pay tax", he added.

He said the Board had been given a target of N12 billion for the year 2013 and hoped that the target would be realized if tax payers paid their taxes as and when due.

To checkmate fake revenue collectors, Nwanne said government had banned all revenue agents from selling emblems of any sort in the streets.

According to him, government had directed that all purchases of all emblems should be done at various local governments in the state.

------Daily Times Nigeria