In reaction to an investigation by The ICIR, the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS) has said they do not use discriminatory policy to assess and collect personal income tax.
The ICIR in a report ‘How Igbo traders bear brunt of Kwara government failed directive, published on July 31, highlighted that many Igbo traders who had earlier paid tax requested of them from the government dating back as 2018, were receiving letters of demands of accumulated arrears, amounting to millions of naira.
The Service, in a statement on August 2, however, failed to counter key issues raised in the report.
Rather it described the investigation by The ICIR, as an attack against the Kwara governor, Abdulrahman Abdurazaq while implying that The ICIR mentioned in the report that the state governor, Abdulrazaq, directed the service to victimise the Igbo traders.
“Contrary to the unfounded allegation contained in the publication, at no time did the Governor of Kwara State explicitly or impliedly direct the service to victimise or act in a particular way towards anyone on the basis of their religion, ethnicity, or other personal social identity.
“The service has adopted a non-discriminatory policy on prohibition of associations on assessment and collection of personal income tax in compliance with relevant provisions of the federal law which is the Personal Income Tax Act, 2011 (as amended,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, at no point in the report did The ICIR mention such, or attribute the ‘victimisation of Igbo traders’ to directive given by the state governor, showing the author of this press statement may not have read thethe report.
The statement failed to address some of the key points in the report.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M