In line with its motto of being the voice of the oppressed, Rights and Freedom Advocates (RIFA) have intervened in an issue of concern to business owners in Ogun State. The issue is the complaint especially from small business owners of multiple taxation which often drain the little capital they mobilize for investment.
The complaints bother on revenue touts hiding under local government to impose legal and illegal fees by authorized and unauthorized collectors and the State government imposing levies higher than what the enable law recommended.
In fact, most of the revenue touts disregard legal provisions by listing illegal levies and impose strange conditions. Most of them do not even include government account details into which the levy could be paid. This is in contravention of the Taxes and Levies (approved list for collection) Act CAP T2 LFN, 2004 which says no person other than the appropriate tax authority should collect tax or levy due to the government.
In fact, people have to help RIFA curb this menace by suing or challenging some of those revenue touts who take bills in the name of, especially, several local government areas in Ogun State to dupe innocent people. A gang of such scammers were caught at Fajol, Obantoko area of Abeokuta on 6 March 2025 when they wanted to dupe a woman of N300,000 with a notice bearing Abeokuta South Local Government letter head and purportedly signed by a supposed woman collaborator but with the head of the gang writing his telephone number on the illegal notice to be contacted.
A similar notice was served on March 10, 2025 by another revenue tout using Odogbolu local government details. As for Ijebu Ode local government, the notices clearly indicate the local government account into which the levies could be paid. This is the normal and legal approach to collection of government levy.
It is hoped the local government Service Commission in Ogun State would help curb the menace of touts impersonating or collaborating with some officials to defraud the local government as laws forbid illegal collectors of tax or levy even in some cases imposing fine of at least N50,000 up to N5million or three years imprisonment for such offenders It should be noted that under no circumstance shall a levy due to any government be paid into individual account except scam. Therefore, RIFA urge residents and business owners to be vigilant of these touts who play on the innocence and ignorance of most people to scam them.
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As regards business premise permit which is one of the levies and taxes recognized by Nigerian law to be collected by the State Government, the law is very categorical on the specific amount be paid as the levy (business premise permit) when it says the State government can fix it but maximum of specified amounts for both rural and the urban centres and for registration and renewal.
However, the law seems not to be complied with in Ogun State and so RIFA have reached out to the State Ministry of Commerce and Industry which collects the levy for review of the current charge to what the law states it to be.
In the Meantime, RIFA look forward to the State Government complying with the law which the business owners are expected to also comply with by restoring business premise permit to what the law says it should be.
Similarly, business owners and others alike should note that ignorance is not a genuine excuse in law. As a result, they are expected to be dutiful residents who are abreast of and perform their civic responsibilities and obligations to various tiers of government so as not to be swindled by the ravaging societal vultures or hit by legal harmer.
Luqman Soliu
President,
Rights and Freedom Advocates (RIFA)
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