560 Edo Tax Defaulters Face Prosecution as Government Tightens Enforcement

The Edo State Internal Revenue Service (EIRS) has referred about 560 tax default cases to its Legal Department for prosecution as part of efforts to improve tax compliance across the state.

Executive Chairman of the EIRS, Otunba Oladele Bankole-Balogun, disclosed this while reviewing the performance of the agency under Governor Monday Okpebholo’s administration.

According to him, the cases were referred after affected taxpayers failed to meet their tax obligations despite repeated efforts by the revenue service to encourage voluntary compliance.

Bankole-Balogun said the agency prefers to educate taxpayers and resolve issues through dialogue before taking legal action.

“Our approach has largely been based on persuasion rather than punishment,” he said.

“We engage taxpayers and encourage them to fulfil their obligations voluntarily. However, where people continue to ignore their tax responsibilities after several engagements, the law has to take its course.”

He also disclosed that the revenue service has already secured convictions in some of the cases, while others are still going through the legal process.

The EIRS chairman did not give the exact number of taxpayers currently owing the state, but said outstanding liabilities cover different tax categories, including Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE), withholding tax, direct assessment and other government revenue.

He explained that the agency has introduced a structured recovery system that combines technology, field enforcement and legal action to recover unpaid taxes.

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According to him, the goal is not only to recover outstanding revenue but also to encourage a culture of voluntary tax compliance among individuals and businesses in Edo State.

Bankole-Balogun also said the agency has strengthened its monitoring system to reduce revenue leakages and illegal tax collection.

He noted that manual receipts have largely been phased out, while electronic payment channels and real-time monitoring have improved transparency in revenue collection.

The EIRS boss urged residents and business owners to pay their taxes through approved government channels, saying tax revenue remains important for funding public services and development projects across Edo State.