CRIRS clamps down on illegal tax collection, educates councils on new laws

From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar

The Cross River Internal Revenue Service (CRIRS) has intensified efforts to educate local government leaders on Nigeria’s newly enacted tax laws, engaging council chairmen from the state’s Southern Senatorial District in a one-day sensitization workshop. Similar sessions have already been held in the Northern and Central districts.

The Head of Revenue Assurance at CRIRS, Patience Egwu, presented a paper titled “Understanding Nigeria’s New Tax Laws”, highlighting prohibited practices under the new regulations. She condemned the use of roadblocks for revenue collection, emphasizing: “There is no more roadblock for revenue collection, and based on the new law, it’s illegal to do so. It is also criminal to sell tickets and stickers.”

Egwu further explained that every local government must establish a six-member Local Government Revenue Committee, without which they have no authority to collect taxes. She stressed uniformity in tax administration across councils and clarified that while churches are exempt, any businesses they operate remain subject to taxation.

Highlighting the importance of clarity, CRIRS Executive Chairman, Edwin Okon, said the engagement aimed to enlighten council leaders and offer a forum for questions. He added that the new law reduces the number of taxes nationwide to nine and advised businesses to maintain proper records, urging them to report over-taxation to the Tax Ombudsman.

“The goal is to ensure compliance, fairness, and transparency in tax collection across the state,” Okon noted.