Anambra Government Pledges to Address IGR Leakages, Activities of Fake Tax Collectors

By Praise Chinecherem

Anambra State government has identified leakages and revenue collectors’ impostors as major challenges affecting progressive growth of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the State.

Senior Special Assistant to Governor Chukwuma Soludo on IGR, Amara Oyeka, disclosed this during the presentation and validation of the research activity carried out in (21) major markets in the state, across the three senatorial zones.

The project was organised by the Tax for Service Project implemented by Tax Justice and Governance Platform (TJ&GP) Anambra State in collaboration with the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, (CISLAC) with funding support from Oxfam Nigeria.

Oyeka also regretted increasing system hackers as well as POS operators who she described as cog in the wheel of revenue generation, saying her office had been battling to address the menace.

She said, “It’s obvious that lot of people try to beat our system through technology. The same people that create viruses also create anti-viruses. POS dealers and operators have a way of manipulating it to cause leakages.

“The truth remains that we’re where we are as a result of leakages. We are doing more work than some other states but the leakages are too many.

“We’re working on more secured way to ensure our people pay their taxes. If the leakages are properly blocked, we can do three times more than what we’re currently doing.

“Another big challenge we have is fake revenue collectors. Some of them are richer than government. But creation of anti-tout by the Agency has been of help, especially in arresting them. But the more they’re arrested, the more they increase.

“Part of the things we want to do in 2025 is to ensure proper identification of our officials in terms of how they appear, their ID cards, and others. People need to know exactly who our tax enforcers are and what they look like.

“We’re also working to address the imbalance in tax payment where importers pay the same rate with petty traders. That narrative will change in 2025. By the time we do proper enumeration, we’ll get statistics of businesses to ascertain total income of each business for proper assessment.”

Onyeka however revealed that amidst the daunting challenges, the monthly internally generated revenue of the state had increased from 2.2 billion in 2023 to 5.2 billion in November 2024.

Describing the feat as work in progress, the SSA solicited for stakeholders’ sustained partnership to ensure the state got what its due on monthly basis.

“We must be willing to do what other states are doing if we want our revenue to be stable or move upwards. Every stakeholder must be involved to achieve results in Anambra. Revenue generation is not a one-man thing but a collective responsibility.

“This is a work in progress and we shall get there. We need your support to sanitize the system as we can’t do it alone. The higher the revenue, the higher the citizens power to demand for their good,” she added.

Executive Director, Social and Integral Development Centre, (SIDEC) host of Tax Justice and Governance Platform in the state, said the engagement was to present and validate the research findings on the implementation of the Tax for Service Project in Anambra State.
“This project aims to bridge the gap between taxpayers and service providers, fostering transparency, accountability, and improved public trust in governance structures,” she stated.

Ehiahuruike expressed optimism that the research findings would guide strategic interventions to improve tax compliance and public service outcomes.

While commending stakeholders for giving priority to the validation meeting, the SIDEC boss called for their active participation to enrich the critical intervention for economic stability, redistribution of wealth and inclusion in governance structure.

“I appreciate your presence and commitment to this initiative. Your participation and input are invaluable in ensuring the project’s success and alignment with local realities.

“Let us work together to build a robust foundation for impactful interventions that enhance public trust, increase tax compliance, and improve service delivery in Anambra State,” she added.
In his remarks, Executive Director, Civil Rights Concern, Okay Onyeka lamented that several communities in the state were yet to witness visible development despite huge sums their local government areas receive from the federation account.

“People from such communities will be reluctant in payment of tax. Government must up its game to justify the money they get both from FAC and IGR”.

Chairman, Anambra State Board of Internal Revenue Service, (AiRS), Dr Greg Ezeilo noted that the current revenue profile of the state was not true reflection of its realities.

Ezeilo, represented by Director of Taxes and Head of Department, Assessment, Herbert Ofomata described markets as the Agency’s oil well in the state, stressing the need for more attention to be focused on markets to fund public services.

“The market financial worth in Anambra is very high but government is not getting the revenue. Our strength is in market. Very soon, from Onitsha to Awka will be market on both sides. Markets are our oil well in the state. We need to pay attention to markets to fund public services,” he stated.

Vice President, Anambra State Association of Town Unions, (ASATU), Ikechukwu Offorkansi commended the process of revenue drive, but called for upgrade to ensure improved efficiency.

Coordinator, Small Scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria (SWOFON), Georgina Akunyiba called on government to intensify fight against fake revenue agents behind double or multiple taxation in the area.

Speaking on behalf of traders, National Chairman, ASMATA, Aguata Zone, Eze-Igwe Chiedozie, appreciated SIDEC for organizing the workshop, urging traders in the state to be faithful to their tax payment in view of the visible productivity.

“We can see that the money we are paying is working and we are encouraged to continue to pay as and when due,” he said.

A consultant, Dr David Agu, in his presentation on the research findings, attributed the state’s poor IGR profile to divertion into private pockets.

“Over 50% of revenue gotten from market is diverted into private pockets, hence the poor IGR profile of the state,” he posited.