Benue gets new Revenue Board boss, bans market unions from collecting levies

Benue State House of Assembly has approved the appointment of Chairman, Benue Internal Revenue Service (BIRS), Terzungwe Atser.

Consequently, the Board has placed a ban on all market unions and associations from collecting levies or any other subscription fee from members on market days.

This was contained in a statement by the Special Assistant, Media and Publicity to Atser, Dennis Mernyi.

He also said government plans to collapse all market and traders’ groups into a single body to avoid multiplication of functions, operations as well as multiple taxation.

Mernyi explained that the Board Chairman, Terzungwe Atser gave the directive during a meeting with the State Farmers and Traders Welfare Association in his office in Makurdi last weekend.

According to Atser, “We are working on dissolving all market associations into one body and we are working out a concession for them to enable them operate effectively.

“Though, taxes collected from the markets are not more that 20% of our revenue, we are willing to ensure there is sanity at all markets and the right things are done to safeguard whatever we make.”

Earlier, President of the Association, Aza Alaka commended the BIRS Chairman for restoring sanity in tax drive in the state.

He said “We are happy with your work. You have significantly reduced our pains. Farmers are happy, traders are happy too.

“We are no longer being exploited. There is a drastic reduction in tax rate since the new tariffs took effect. All illegal road blocks have been removed and our traders are enjoying their businesses,” he stated.

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