Emmah Isong, chairman of Cross River State Anti-tax Agency, warned that anybody caught sabotaging the antitax agency will face the full weight of the law irrespective of social status or political leaning.
He appealed to politicians to stop sponsoring touts to molest the poorest of the poor through the imposition of multiple levies, adding that illegal taxation was impacting negatively on the economy of Cross River, with thousands of businessmen relocating to other states.
Isong, who is also the national publicity secretary of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) and presiding Bishop of Christian Central Chapel Int’l (CCCI), stated this on Wednesday at an interactive session with journalists in Calabar, the state capital.
According to him, checks showed that powerful politicians were behind increasing illegal taxation in the state. He observed that the state would benefit more if everyone joins forces with Governor Ben Ayade to eradicate incidences of illegal levies and taxes.
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“You can see why the governor appointed only pastors and clergymen to handle the anti-tax fight. It never dawned on us what we were brought into until we hit the ground running. We have come to discover that it is ‘Mr Otu’s goat that ate Mr Otu’s yam.’ The touts on the streets oppressing and beating up old market women because of collection of levies are people’s workers.
“They are being sent to those revenue points by people, particularly politicians. The agents are placed in those places as rewards for electoral victories. That explains why activities of illegal taxes and levies surge immediately after elections. “The governor has also come to discover that the powerful political class are behind illegal taxation in the state. The narrative is that those guys on the streets perpetrating this act are chips of the old block.”
Speaking further, Isong said: “Since we started arresting those violators of anti-tax law, we have been receiving calls from the big and mighty for us to softpedal. What we are going to do is that we will hold unto the cubs until the mother lion comes out, but we do hope they’ll repent. I appeal to those sponsoring those illegal tax agents to cooperate with the state government and stop such acts for the interest of the economy of the state.”
