Article Alleging Draconian Taxation, Ruthless Enforcement False ~ Abia Govt

Abia State Government says its attention has been drawn to a recent article alleging draconian taxation and ruthless enforcement, stating that the claims are inaccurate and false.

She insisted that the Governor Alex Otti led administration remains committed to fairness, transparency, and growth, expressing the hope that together, the State Government and the citizens can keep revenue honest, end harassment for good, and fund people-oriented development across the State.

A statement made available to newsmen on Sunday by Emmanuel Okpechi Ph.D, (FCA), the Special Adviser to the Governor on Internally Generated Revenue, said after assuming office, Governor Alex Otti granted a three-month moratorium on daily collections to end years of tout-driven harassment and to deploy transparent digital systems.

He said this measure has made it possible for enforcement to be streamlined under a single, harmonised task force to put a stop to multiple tickets and extortion, adding that there is only one harmonised enforcement which has also relegated touting to the background.

According to the statement, Abia has long implemented the Treasury Single Account (TSA) model and all government revenues are paid into a single account, and expenditures are made from the same account, stressing that this blocked leakages, improves cash management, enables real-time reconciliation and audit trails, and ends opaque MDA accounts.

Abia State government also said as part of efforts to prevent multiple taxation, collections are centralised under the Board of Internal Revenue (BIR) with consolidated demand notices and e-receipting via approved channels (AbiaPay, banks, PoS, card/transfer/USSD), revealing that Ease of Doing Business Council is in place to keep processes predictable and investor-friendly.

Furthermore, the state government hinted that after consulting with stakeholders, the state adopted moderate reviews that remain a little lower than prevailing benchmarks reported in several South-East/South-South States. emphasising that the daily e-ticket for tricycles has remained ₦500 just as level tricycle unions have indicated they can shoulder having eliminated loading bay payment to non-State actors per loading.

Reacting to claims that ₦450 million is charged per filling station, the State Government dismissed the claim as false, bogus and illogical, arguing that if a single station were to pay ₦450 million in fees, what revenue would be left for them to operate, insisting that such levy does not exist anywhere in Abia State.

The statement revealed that Abia operates a cash-lite regime which is targeted at curbing leakages and protect taxpayers, encouraging citizens to pay only through AbiaPay, banks, or approved PoS/e-channels as every payment generates an official e-receipt. (Abia’s transport e-ticketing is also enabled through approved applications).

Responding to issue of partnership, the state government stressed that Access Bank collaboration is a professional partnership to strengthen financial processes and technology, reiterating that nowhere does any agreement grant the bank 15% of collections.

The statement reaffirmed that the State’s IGR ambition (₦120bn target for 2025) rests on a broader base: Aba’s commercial/industrial strength, urban renewal, and pro-business reforms, not on punitive rates, pointing out that there is nothing like percentage cuts.

While reaffirming Governor Otti’s position regarding taxation, the statement said tax is the Government’s share of the prosperity it enables – to be invested back into roads, markets, health and security to help businesses and families thrive, noting that Abians are already witnessing the dividends of the reforms and are responding by paying lawful taxes, fees and levies through approved channels.

The state government, however, enjoined Abians to register for ABSSIN and co-operate with ongoing enumeration, emphasising that this will broaden the base and keep rates fair.

It also advised citizens and businesses to follow this link to enrol for the ABSSIN : https://abiapay.com/create-abssin.

The state government urged Abians to pay only via approved channels (AbiaPay, banks, approved PoS/e-channels) and insist on their e-receipt while advising them to report any touting, unofficial tickets, or cash demands to BIR or the harmonised task force.