By Simeon OSAJIE
The Edo State Government has banned Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) from collection of revenues and declared the Edo State Internal Revenue Service (EIRS) as the only body duly certified to collect revenues on behalf of the State government.
In a statement by spokesperson of EIRS, Courage Eboigbe, stated that the directive was issued in a government Circular to MDAs across the State.
According to the statement, all revenue collections must now be conducted exclusively through government approved Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) accounts.
“The EIRS is the sole authority legally empowered to assess, collect, and report all revenues accruing to the state, pursuant to Section 10 (2) and Section 21 (b) of the Edo State Revenue Administration Law, 2012”.
The statement added that the Executive Chairman of the EIRS, Mr. John Odior in a meeting with Heads of MDAs and Permanent Secretaries, directed them to immediately stop direct revenue collection and terminate the engagement of third-party agents for the purpose of collecting taxes, levies, or fees.
He said all payments must be made into designated, government approved IGR accounts while other accounts currently in use for revenue collection are to be discontinued immediately.
He however expressed dissatisfaction with the current level of compliance following the circular’s release.
He noted that full cooperation of all is non-negotiable for effective revenue tracking and the elimination of financial leakages.
The statement urged all stakeholders to support the administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo, highlighting that strict revenue discipline is essential for the government to provide infrastructure and development across the State.