Ogun Govt. To Establish Special Courts For Tax Defaulters

Ogun State Government is considering the establishment of Revenue Courts to fastrack the prosecution of  Tax Defaulters in Ijebu-Ode, Ifo,Mowe, Ota and Agbara axis of the state .

The State Chief Judge, Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu unfolded the plan while receiving Executive Chairman of the State Internal Revenue Service (OGIRS) ,Mr.Anthony Olaleye recently at the Judiciary Complex in Abeokuta, the state capital

Justice Dipeolu represented by the State Deputy Chief Registrar I Legal, Justice Martins Akinyem, pledged the readiness of the State Judiciary to support the efforts of OGIRS in its move towards increasing IGR, saying nothing could be achieved by the government without revenue.

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Chairman of the State Internal Revenue Service  had called for the establishment of a Revenue Mobile Court to  ensure speedy trial of Tax Defaulters in the state.

He stressed that the use of such special court would fastrack the hearing  of  revenue related cases and block leakages, to enable OGIRS achieve its revenue target for the fiscal year. 

Olaleye explained that the support from the Judiciary in the area of using the revenue mobile court during tax enforcement exercise, would help deepen the agency’s tax net, thereby increasing revenue that would be used in providing developmental projects.

Olaleye added that the use of the Revenue Court during tax enforcement exercise, and inclusion of Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC) from, sureties as part of requirements for court bail.

He said that demand for suchTCC signed by the Chairman from surety during the bail process, would be more authentic than tax receipts that were prone to forgery.

The Chairman expressed the readiness of the agency  to ensure that, residents pay appropriate taxes efficiently and transparently.

His words "We want to ensure that every resident of the State pays appropriate taxes, we don’t want anybody to be under tax and we want it done transparently".

“We will need the support of the Chief Judge and her team,  to ensure that any surety for bail provides a Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC) or a Clearance letter from the State Internal Revenue Service signed by the Chairman, instead of tax receipts that can be forged, these are revenue leakages”, he further stated .