Oyo Govt Educates Haulage Stakeholders on Single Digital Levy Framework

Business/Economy

Oyo Govt Educates Haulage Stakeholders on Single Digital Levy Framework

Reported by Ibadan Media

The Oyo State government has educated stakeholders in the haulage sector on the new national framework for haulage revenue.

The framework approved a single levy payment at the point of loading and offloading of goods, abolished payments for levy with cash and illegal roadblocks erected by non-state actors for unauthorised multiple collection of haulage levies

The sensitisation and public enlightenment, organised by the Oyo State Internal Revenue Service in collaboration with Joint Revenue Board the developer of the app for the harmonised revenue, held at the Local Government Staff Training Hall, State Secretariat, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The programme, according to the organisers, is part of efforts to improve revenue generation, make tax collection simpler and fairer, and create a forum for citizens to understand the new framework.

Giving his address on “Haulage in manufactured Produce”, the Commissioner for Investment, Trade, Cooperatives and Industry, Professor Salihu Adelabu, said the haulage fee in Oyo State is not new.

“The haulage fee in Oyo State is not new. It has existed since the early 2000s and applies to goods moved in and out of the state by articulated vehicles, on the loading and offloading of finished manufactured products. Enforcement has been uneven over the years, and the government has chosen to begin with awareness and engagement, including manufacturers and companies before moving to enforcement under the new law,” he said.

Speaking with journalists shortly after the programme, Adelabu said the programme was to explore ways of improving economic activities.

“The essence of this programme is on the haulage system and the ways of improving the economic activities in Nigeria as well. You know, by the virtue of my ministry, the Ministry of Investment, Trade, Cooperatives and Industries, people think economic activities is premised on just buying and selling. Yes, it’s one of those things. But economic activities takes you back to the farm, your farm produce. How do you bring them to the local market? And how do you export them out of Nigerian land? And that is what haulage is all about,” he said.

“So, haulage is about how do we move all these heavy tonnes of goods from one point to another? And that is the essence of today’s programme. We are to educate and we are to guide people on what to do at every point of business activities,” he added.every state as cash collection is not allowed.

“if a vehicle moves from Oyo to Osun State, but the driver of the vehicle did not pay the levy in Oyo State, he will be mandated to pay the levy in Osun State with a fine because he left his point of loading without making payment for the levy. Same thing applies if a driver moves from Ekiti to Kogi State without payment for the haulage levy. It’s mandatory,” she said.

The Oyo State Internal Revenue also used the occasion to announce the state’s approved agents as Asiwaju Global Resources represented by Alhaja Simbiat Moronke Yahya, E-tag and Oyo State control paper, 08090555880, 08032118266; Chemiroy Nigeria Limited for manufactured products haulage 07039107931; Bay-hem Interbiz for forest produce haulage 09039451423; Brown and Caldwell for agricultural produce haulage; and Al-Maruf Investments for scrap metal haulage.

ITC Advisory Services is the lead consultant for the informal sector and the monitoring of the agents falls under their purview.

Delivering his keynote address on the theme, “Beyond Revenue Collection”, the Managing Director and Lead Strategist, Hi-Tech Demographic Consulting Services Limited, Adeyemo O. Abimbola, advised the state government to embrace digital transformation.

According to Adeyemo, the future of revenue administration depends on systems that are lawful, coordinated, transparent, technology-enabled and humane.