Ebonyi Govt. denies imposing tax on PEDAN

The Ebonyi State government on Wednesday denied imposing tax on the Petroleum Dealers Association of Nigeria (PEDAN). The state Board of Internal Revenue, saying that the board did not impose any tax on the Petroleum Dealers Association of Nigeria (PEDAN) operating in the state, disclosed that they only placed demand notice on them on the money owed to the state government.

Chairman of the Board, Agwu Nweze,  in a media interaction in Abakaliki on Wednesday, declared:  “They have refused to pay the N3.5 million owed to the state government. We did not impose fine on them; we were only following the law of the Federal Government.

“Some members of the Association have not been filing the tax they paid since 2015. Filing of tax paid gives the authority the break down to ascertain whether you have under or over paid the state government.

“So, many filling stations have not been filing since 2015 when this administration came on Board.

“The filling stations are to pay N3.5 million each to the state government. That is N500, 000 per year for seven years.

“The Association have not been fair to the government of Ebonyi. Though, some of the operators have started filing and hopefully others will follow suit.”

PEDAN on Monday, shut down all its stations in Ebonyi State protesting what it described as excessive taxation and fines by the State Board of Internal Revenue Office (IGR).

H0owever, filling station operators on Tuesday resumed business in the state.

The State Chairman of PEDAN, Silas Njaka, has explained that the members shut down operations on Monday because of the state government’s action on the issue of Pay as You Earn Income Tax.

Njaka said that some of his members failed to make their filing on the issue of Income Tax.

According to him, “Our members, who are involved have been sued to court over the matter and the case will be heard on May 15.”

NAN