A’Ibom: Chief Judge Tasks Judicial Officers On Reforms To End Multiple Taxation
Unyime Bassey, Uyo
Akwa Ibom Chief Judge, Justice Ekaette Obot has called for urgent legal reforms to end multiple taxation and lingering crisis between the state government and local authorities on tax and levies collection in the state.
According to the Chief Judge, "Judges in the state must embark on an urgent review of inherited tax laws to reflect trending reforms in the sector with a view of resolving perpetual disputes through harmonisation of tax or levies collection system, arising from a mutually acceptable legal framework, binding on the two arms of government in the state."
Justice Obot stated this in Uyo while delivering a keynote address at a 3-day training workshop on taxation for judges, themed; Contemporary Issues in "Tax Administration" packaged by the state Internal Revenue Service in collaboration with the Akwa Ibom Judiciary held at Ibom Icon Hotel and Golf Resort.
“Here, I must say that there is a lot of dispute as to the collection of taxes between agents of the state and the local governments because a lot of them when they come to court, they will say, No, it’s the right of the local government to collect or otherwise. We need to explore relevant constitutional provisions and the extant laws of the state to trash these disputes at this training,” the CJ said.
She added, “The concept note before us outlines a well-curated training agenda to enhance the understanding of statutory and constitutional frameworks on government taxation policies, specifically crafted to equip judges with insights into mechanisms for resolving tax disputes and provide an overview of the legal framework for taxes collected by state and local governments.
“As participants embark on this training journey, the knowledge gained will enable our judges and magistrates to adjudicate tax-related cases with fairness, impartiality, and adherence to the principles of justice.
“Through continuous training and retraining, we can collectively build a more robust and more efficient tax administration system in Akwa Ibom.”
While thanking the state for organising the training, the CJ urged resource persons to delve into effective mechanisms for recovery, explore options for tax prosecution, and equip judges with the rudiments of the power to distrain administrative and pre-judicial procedure.”
In his remarks, the Executive Chairman of Akwa Ibom Internal Revenue Service, Mr. Okon Okon, expressed appreciation to the CJ for facilitating the workshop, noting that judges play a key role in interpreting the law while ensuring fairness in the application of tax regulations, through the justice delivery system.
He expressed optimism that the training will achieve intended goals as well as open windows for knowledge acquisition, and sharing of ideas on how to improve tax adjudication and administration in the state.
Mr. Okon posited, "We have carefully chosen a team of tax experts and experienced professionals who will guide us through the principles of taxation, contemporary issues, precedents, and legal procedures.”
“It is my conviction that they will do justice to the various topics slated for discussions in this stream and consequently improve overall justice delivery in tax matters.”
Participants who spoke after the workshop which ended yesterday, described the training as timely and apt stressing that the knowledge gained will assist in eliminating multiple taxes and levies often imposed on medium and small-scale businesses, thereby suffocating them to extinction.
