ALGON, NULGE Lose N500m Annually to Illegal Tax Collectors

ALGON, NULGE Lose N500m Annually to Illegal Tax Collectors

14 Dec 2015

By Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
A detailed  investigation into the  revenue collection process, by the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), and the National Union of Local Government Employee‎ (NULGE),  has  revealed that local councils lose about N500 million annually through activities of illegal tax collectors.
To this end, ALGON and NULGE have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the  Joint Mobile Advertising Agency of Nigeria, and Mobile Advertisers Association of Nigeria (JMOAN/MOAN) to put an end to the exploitation of Local Governments (LGs) by unauthorised agents or associations.
Briefing journalists over the weekend in Abuja, the Chairman, Board of Trustee,JMOAN/MOAN,  Hon. Gabriel Ojoba said the alliance was forged in order to stamp out illegal collection by unauthorised people.

 According to him, "today you hear a lot of noise from the highways that people are forcing people to pay legal fees on the highways. The fact is that these people are not accredited agent of the LGs and they don't have authority or power to do so."

 Ojoba added: "In a bid to harmonise all local government approved revenue collections (mobile advertisement permits, loading and offloading motor park levies, environmental protection/sanitation permits, radio and television permits) as well as block the leakages in the accruing revenue to local government
"The NEC of ALGON has resolved to appoint a credible revenue collection organisation -JOAN/MOAN  to act on his behalf ‎for the issuance of ALGON National consolidated clearance to curb the incidences of multiplicity of taxes and promote uniformity in the collection process."
Ojoba noted that with the emergence of the alliance, they have been able to create  a platform in line with the directives of the Joint Task Board, and the Federal Ministry of Finance wants  in respect to the issue of sticker that has been generating problem day-in day-out.
"We have come out with a clearance certificates, a proscripts, we have also come out with a consolidated clearance of NULGE/ALGON, and these two documents are free, they are for unifotmity, they are for free movement of vehicles,we want to make sure that no vehicle that moves from one location to the other has a problem in the highway, once you pay your due at one particular local government that payment covers you throughout the country," he added.
The BoT Chairman stressed that a national task force has been set up  to monitor activities of those impersonating the association‎, and has also resolved to stamping out road blocks out of the highways.
He explained: "We want to make sure that 2016 is hitch-free for all motorists who obtain these documents from the local government. All we are saying is that go to your local government, pay your level  there, join the two document to it and you have free passage ."
Ojoba emphasised that in the past, some of the people who go to the council to obtain the letter of authority to work (collect tax) were being given because they patronise the political race of some chairmen, without having knowledge about  the industry, but said that it was a kind of a favour being returned by the chairman, stressing that they are the kind of people that cause problems on the high way‎.
‎The unauthorised agents that the unsuspecting publics have been warned against include, National Association of Stickers/Emblems Employers of Nigeria, who claimed to be an associate to Trade Union Congress (TUC), Vehicle Emblems and Stickers Permits Operators Association of Nigeria (VESPOAM), and Night Loaders Stickers.
‎Though, Ojoba stated categorically that the unauthorised agents have been called to a meeting which they have refused to honour, and also maintained that they would be welcomed if they ready to do the right, but won't condone any act capable of tolerated destroying the industry.