By CHARLES IWUOHA

Members of Ebonyi State Internal Revenue Board (IRB) and men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have arrested five suspected illegal revenue collectors at the International market in the state.

The arrest was made during a raid at the market. The suspects were arrested in different locations of the market collecting the illegal tax from market women.

Items recovered from them include, some booklets of receipts and cash already collected from poor women and children selling sachet water, vegetables and other petty items.

The market women at the market immediately after the arrest started singing praises to Governor Francis Nwifuru.

Some of the women told News Express that the illegal revenue collectors had been a thorn in their flesh as they collect between N50 and N100 daily or they will carry their goods pending when they pay.

The Leader of the Revenue Board team, Emmanuel Elechi who is also in charge of ICT in the board, said that the arrest of the suspects was based on incessant violation of governor Nwifuru?s directive of exempting petty traders and vegetable sellers from revenue payment.

?We are determined to flush out illegal revenue collectors who bet on tarnishing the image of the board. We must adhere strictly to the directive of the Governor to allow the petty traders and vegetable sellers to do their business without paying tax.

?Our governor in his wisdom knows what the poor are passing through and decided to reduce the hardship but some people are sabotaging the gesture in a bid to enrich themselves. We cannot tolerate that, we shall continue to arrest them and prosecute them to serve as deterrent to others?.

The board also flagged-off the automation of e-ticketing for commercial motorcycles and Tricycle operators to checkmate crime and close revenue leakages in the state.

The exercise which was flagged-off by the Chairman of the State Revenue Board, Chief Christopher Omo-Isu.

He noted that the profiling of commercial motorcycles and Tricycles in the state will reduce crime and stop double taxation.

He said with the profiling and automation of the revenue generation, any operator that use the vehicles to commit crime would be traced, arrested and prosecuted.

Omo-Isu said that the new innovation will reduce touting in the markets, streets and major roads of the state as the operators would be expected to go to registration points to register within two weeks after which enforcement will commence.

He urged the people of the state to key into the new system that would bring sanity and safety to the revenue drive and reduce the fight between the touts and the cyclists/operators.

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