Update From The Revenue House:…
The Chairman/Chief Executive Anambra State Board of Internal Revenue Service AiRS, *Dr Greg Ezeilo FCA* today August 31,2023 had a strategic joint meeting with the *House Committee members on IGR*, *All the Market Leaders/Stakeholders* in the State and also the *President General, Anamrbra State Market and Traders Association (ASMATA)* at the Training Hall, Revenue House Awka.
The main crux of the meeting was to discuss the way forward with the market leaders on how to galvanize payment for Market Levy collections for the year 2023 in view across the markets in Anambra State.
Addressing the attendees, the AiRS Chairman, Dr Greg Ezeilo FCA reminded them that effective from tomorrow September 1,2023 the payment for 2023 market levy will commence until December 15,2023, after which a penalty of N5000 for non compliance will be imposed for non compliance.
He also stated that *Biometric Enumeration* on all the traders across the markets in the State will soon commence. According to him, the biometric fee will be at the rate of N2000 naira only. Once a trader is been enumerated, a Card will be issued. This is done in a way to enhance ease of payment electronically. He further stated that the traders manifest will be amended to create another design that will include non-stop owners so that every market payment concerning market levy will be paid per shop and not per head. While introducing the UHBET team to the market leaders, Dr Ezeilo maintained that the *Unified Hybred Enforcement Team of the AiRS* otherwise known as *UHBET* is the only authentic enforcement team approved by the State Governor, Chukwuma Charles Soludo and they are subject to various training and retraining on the best ways to enforce revenue compliance with civility and human face.
Dr Ezeilo also lamented the fact that Anambra State pays the least with regards to market levy among all the South Eastern States. According to him, Ebonyi is paying N32,000 per annum, Enugu N49,000, Imo N50,000 while Anambra pays a meagre N12,200 per annum which he said calls for serious upward review”.
The Executive Director in charge of Direct Assessment AiRS, *Mr Ben Anierobi Okafor* in his remark stated that there is different between market levy paid by the traders and personal income tax. In his words, “personal income tax is a tax that is imposed on the gain or profit from any trade, business, profession or vocation; or any salary, wage, fee, allowance or other gain or profit from employment of individuals. It is paid per head by individual while market levy is paid based on number of shops owned by the trader in a particular market at the rate of N12,200 per annum.
Speaking on behalf of the market leaders, The President General, ASMATA, *Chief Humphrey Anwuna* (Onwa Ora-Eri) extoled the effort he has made with the help of the State Coordinator, Market Payment Compliance, *Hon Chike Odoji* alongside the market leaders in galvanizing the prompt payment of the market levy. He also stated that since his inception of office as ASMATA PG, he has been able raise about N2 billion naira under 3 months as revenue coming from the market. He also promised to raise about 4billion naira from now till December 2023 as revenue coming from the traders across the market in the State. In his words, “we will convey a meeting with the market leaders tomorrow September 1,2023 to discuss the way forward regarding the upward review of the current market levy from N12,200 to a particular amount that will be communicated to the AiRS”.
Similarly, the Chairman Anambra State Assembly House Committee on IGR, *Hon Jude Ngobidi* stated that Gov Soludo is a working governor that needed support from every Anambrarian in his vision to transform the State into a livable and prosperous homeland. He further maintained that IGR is very critical to that effect and enjoins the market leaders to make sure that they contribute their quota by way of prompt payment of market levy which will in turn increase the State Internally Generated Revenue.
Other house members present at the meeting were, *Hon Golden Iloh* (Member Ihiala II State Constituency), *Hon Augustine Ikeh* (Nnewi North State Constituency), *Hon Ejike Okechukwu* – Ognuefi na Uko Efi (Anaocha II State Constituency).
#TazMattersAnambra
Emeh Pascal.O
Media Asst to the AiRS Chairman
For: Taxpayer Education and Enlightenment Team TEET AiRS.
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