Vendors on Haulage and Road Taxes Stickers in Ogun, Oyo, and Kwara States have been trained, to acquaint them with the new trend in carrying out their responsibilities in line with the automation process.

Speaking while declaring the training opened at Ogun State Internal Revenue Service (OGIRS) headquarters in Abeokuta, the Executive Chairman, of OGIRS, Mr. Olugbenga Olaleye said it was initiated by the Joint Tax Board (JTB).

Olaleye, represented by the Special Adviser, to the Governor on Revenue, Mr. Jide Sanwo, said the step would provide solutions to undue harassment and extortion of motorists on the road by fake tax authorities.

He noted that the training was on Single Inter-State Road Tax Stickers (SIRTS) and Single Haulage Fee (SHF) Implementation Processes, to block revenue leakages and mitigate the sale of fake stickers and emblems for improved revenue generation into government coffers.

Olaleye enjoined participants to see the training as an important initiative that would benefit them and the government when the e-sticker issuance becomes operational.

In his remarks, Special Adviser to the Governor on Revenue, Otunba Olufemi Allen, explained that the Single Inter State Road Taxes Stickers, (SIRTS) were backed by law, which empowers the Joint Tax Board (JTB), to design  the Stickers for any vehicle within Nigeria at the point of vehicle registration or renewal, which would be administered electronically.

On the Single Haulage Fee, Allen said the States have the backing of the law to set up institutional structures for the administration of a Single Haulage Fee (SHF) payable at the points of loading in the state of departure and the point of discharge of the goods.

According to the Special Adviser, “the Joint Tax Board as the driver of the platform will ensure that there was uniformity and harmony in the administration of SHF and SIRTS in line with its Statutory mandate”. 

While decrying the manner the projects were handled earlier in the course of enforcing consolidated emblem to motorists, Otunba Allen stated that the projects, when fully embraced would increase states' IGR, eliminate human intervention, reduce revenue leakages, create enabling environment for motorists and Haulage operators in line with ease of doing business initiative of the government.

In their separate remarks, Prince Dan Olaitan of Dansavist Multi Concept from Oyo State and Hon. Adefoku Sabur of Dansarat Ltd, Ogun State on behalf of other vendors, who described the initiative as a timely intervention that would fulfill purpose, added that other revenue heads in road taxes should be captured into the SIRTS and SHF projects, pledging their cooperation to support the projects,