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Friday, March 29, 2024

Abolition Of The New Tax Regime Without Restitution Puts Governor Umahi’s Divine Mandate To A Test – By Osita Julius Nworu

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Governor Umahi
Governor Umahi

The present tax system in Ebonyi state calls to mind the story of a very famous public official, his name was Zacchaeus and his particular official title was a publican. A Publican worked for the income Tax Bureau of the Roman government in Judea. He was a despised citizen not just because he was an income tax collector, but because he was a traitor. Just like the tax agents found in Ebonyi state under the government of Umahi that go about exploiting, extorting and persecuting poor Ebonyians in the name of tax drive across the state.

The technique used by the tax collectors is not far from the untold persecution suffered by Ebonyians in the hands of tax agents that raided the entire communities of old Abakaliki, before state creation when poor Ebonyians deserted their farms, market squares and avoided venues of occasions for fear of being arrested and muffled into a waiting old model Land Rover, used by the tax agents to evacuate them to the nearest police station where they were detained momentarily before taking them to court for trail and subsequently sentenced for not paying tax to a government that showed no presence in any of the communities where they lived across.

Governor Dave Umahi during his electioneering campaign promised Ebonyians heaven on earth if voted into power. The most striking of all the promises he made was the sustenance of the 50 percent salary increase for workers implemented by Elechi few months to the end of his tenure. Umahi assured Ebonyian workers that he was going to sustain the 50percent salary increase and would further increase the salary up to a 100 percent if elected. He was quoted as saying ‘’ the money was there to implement the salary increase and he had often advised his former boss to pay the 50 percent but he disagreed with him’’ When Umahi came on board as the Governor of Ebonyi state, the first thing he did was to revert to the old salary structure, claiming that there was no money to implement the salary increment as promised.

This did not go down well with civil servants as they embarked on one week warning strike to push for the sustenance of the 50 percent salary increase which they were already enjoyed during Elechi’s era. To ensure that the demand of the Labour Union was exasperated, a splinter group emerged that called itself junior workers association, made up of group of young men and women and allegedly sponsored and substantially funded by the government of Umahi with an initial take off grant of about N20million to work with and frustrate the genuine demand of the authentic labour union. Shortly after the election of Umahi was upheld by the tribunal in controversial ruling, the Governor anticipated that the judgment may not be appealed; he hurriedly reeled out an unprecedented and unfeasible new tax regime in a state with the lowest economic posture in the whole of south eastern Nigeria.

The controversial new tax regime was published in a local newspaper and announced severally in the state radio with a stern warning of total compliance to all concerned. Before the new tax regime was made public, the Governor had already obtained a backing from the State House of Assembly to force its compliance on poor Ebonyians. Designated banks were stated for the lodgment of the taxes and other IGR that were as well published and announced on the radio and television. Subsequently, tax agents were given matching order to swing into action to ensure full compliance by all concerned.

The government repeatedly announced that defaulters will be sent to jail in accordance with the bill passed by the State House of Assembly and signed into law by Governor Umahi. Huge number of Ebonyians complied to avert being jailed; others closed their businesses and operated only from 4pm to about 8pm when the operating time of the aggressive taxation drive was over. Arrangements were on top gear by some business operators to relocate to other states for fear of spending their capital base on tax alone, while the dissident waited for a showdown with the tax agents as they raided shops, business places and market squares across the state extorting and maiming helpless citizens in the name of taxation drive.

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The tax persecution continued to rage across the state as the tax agents were deployed to various communities across the state to ensure that taxes were collected from poor Ebonyians who depend on their farm produce for a living. Market squares became a similar scene like in the days of the wicked tax agents that raided market squares. The situation is worse than explained here as women and children that came to the market to sell their paltry goods were compelled to pay two times the cost of what they brought to the market to sell as tax to a government that does not have any presence in their localities. Transport fare doubled as a result of the new tax system.

Passengers pay much higher for every movement in commercial vehicles from Ebonyi state to other states from one council area to another within the state. Now that the government claimed to have suspended the new tax regime, what about the law that backed the implementation of the abolished tax regime? Has it been repealed? As long as the law still stands, the suspension or the abolition of the new tax system still makes no meaning because it could be dusted in the near future when the electoral cases against the Governor are over. Since the government of Umahi suddenly realizes they have wronged Ebonyians with a dreaded tax system,What about those who have paid the taxes and the monies made from the manifest at various motor parks across the state on daily basis for the government? Will the money be kept by government or refunded?

Where there is wrong there has to be restitution. Injustice disturbs the equilibrium of the due order that ought to prevail in society. Giving back the stolen goods restores the balance. Let the tax agents be ready to toe the line of Biblical Zacchaeus and make reparation. Notice that Zacchaeus said to our Lord Jesus Christ ‘’ Here and now, Lord, I give half of what I have to the poor, and if I have wronged anyone in any way, I make restitution of it fourfold. Absence of restitution in the so called suspension or abolishment of the new tax regime without restitution does not clearly show sincerity on the side of the government and that puts the claims of Umahi’s divine mandate to a test. In the word of Shakespeare ‘’Shame is not enough! Remorse is not enough! There must restitution’’ Many other crimes can be cancelled out by mere sorrow and repentance but the guilt of robbery even when dignified with the name ‘’kick back’’ or ‘’legality’’ remains so long as the fruits are retained by the concerned.

Umahi’s government is full of contradictions. Ebonyians will not forget in a hurry the very day he held an interactive session with journalists where he said that his government would not tolerate harassment of Ebonyians in the name of tax drive, instead defaulters would be tried in a special court set up specifically for defaulters of the new tax regime. When he was asked about the refusal of his commissioner to honour the invitation by the House of Assembly to defend the outrageous taxation, the Governor said that the House has no power to invite any of his commissioners without first sending a letter to him for approval. Is that not an impeachable statement from the Governor and downright demeaning statement on a constituted authority with elected officials like him?

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Another contradiction in Umahi government is the appointment of management committee members in the last three months for all the development centers across the state. The appointed members were compelled to pay about N50, 000 each as tax clearance imposed on them by the government, till now, they have not been sworn in or paid a dine as salary, yet the government hides in the false security of divine mandate. While the state radio and television of the state government remain the only place where Umahi’s achievements is celebrated on daily basis with claims that the government of Umahi has achieved so much within few months of its existence.

The celebrated achievements ends in the confines of the state media since they are not felt by Ebonyians but by few who stick their throat to stand by the lies of the government. It was on the strength of the poor performance of the governor and his government riddled with contradictions that CIAPS, a reputable NGO that conducted ‘Governors Performances’’ across the state reported that Governor Umahi is one of the worst governors in Nigeria as published in the national dailies. Umahi’s apologists are simply banking on the ignorance of Ebonyians, they claim that the street light project and road patching/maintenance across the small city of Abakaliki are unprecedented achievements of the Governor and therefore should be applauded. Ebonyians are wiser and can no longer be deceived by mere road patching/maintenance with cement and crude technology used by the ministry of works which has since been discarded and longer apply in the 21st century engineering technic. No new road construction has ever been embarked upon by the present administration.

Apologists of Umahi’s achievement should as well know that direct labour approach used by Umahi through the ministry of works to execute the road patching/maintenance remains the cheapest means any government can employ for project executions, because the standard of the works ministry’s output is absolutely not in fair comparison with what would be obtained if a reputable company was engaged for the same projects. While much attention is given to only the ministry of works, less attention is given to other ministries. Could it be that the ministry of works is a hub for easy retirement of funds unlike other ministries? Other ministries such as ministry of water resources functions only radio and television as there is no functional pipe borne water anywhere in Ebonyi state even as the state recorded a recent case of guinea worm which occurred in Ohaukuwu area of the state as reported in the national dailies.

Ebonyi state under Umahi is gradually drifting to the dark ages of guinea worm and cholera epidemic which are clear cases of water borne diseases that ravaged the state in the past and have resurfaced again as a result of acute lack of potable drinking water because Ebonyi has a government that has lost sight of the what to do to develop the state that is why the administration is full of contradiction. For a time they perform marvels and suddenly they fail, they do useful things, but not aware of the moment they should stop them and follow another path that is the situation in Ebonyi state

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