By NICHOLAS DECHI

The Chairman of the Board of Internal Revenue Service (BIRS), Mr Joseph Kwaghgba, says that the collection of taxes on the highways in Benue is now illegal.

Kwaghgba made the disclosure in his remarks at the public hearing on a bill seeking to repeal the State Internal Revenue Administration (Amended) Law 2022 and enact the Benue State Revenue Service Establishment Law 2025 on Monday in Makurdi.

The chairman said that the harmonisation of the law was in alignment with the Federal Government’s new tax law scheduled to take effect on January 1.

He stated that taxes would now be collected only at approved points of loading, warning that anyone seen collecting taxes on the road should be treated as an impostor.

Kwaghgba added that the reforms were guided by the Nigeria Tax Act and aimed at making tax administration more efficient through harmonisation and the use of technology.

The chairman said that tertiary institutions would benefit immensely from the new system, as their user charges would be centrally collected by BIRS.

He pointed out that they took decisive steps to overhaul the revenue system and end multiple taxation through a new harmonised tax law.

Also speaking, the Director of Taxes and Investments at BIRS, Mr Teryima Asase, stated that all tax checkpoints and roadblocks across the state had been dismantled.

Declaring the hearing open, the Speaker, Mr Alfred Emberga, said that the proposed law had become necessary to reposition the state’s revenue administration in line with national reforms.

He noted that the new framework would enhance transparency and accountability, allowing citizens and civil society groups to track revenue collection and government spending.

According to Emberga, the reform was designed to ensure that public funds were properly directed to priority sectors such as healthcare, education and public infrastructure, while also strengthening trust between government and the people.

In his welcome address, the House Committee Chairman on Finance, Dr Matthew Damkor (APC/Tiev), described the proposed harmonised tax law as a critical foundation for good governance and sustainable development in Benue.

He said that the bill sought to eliminate multiple taxation, overlapping tax authorities and administrative inefficiencies that had long burdened taxpayers and businesses.

He explained that a unified tax framework would reduce compliance costs for small and medium-scale enterprises, boost investor confidence and improve the ease of doing business, while helping the government minimise revenue leakages and strengthen fiscal planning.

Also, a former Chairman of BIRS, Mr Ortyom Asen, said that the bill, if passed and backed by strong political will, would curb the multiplicity of taxes and create employment opportunities across the state. (NAN)