The Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) has called on state governors to closely monitor with their local government chairmen and state’s internal revenue service (SIRS) to implement the Nigeria Governors’ Forum’s (NGF) directive on the elimination of illegal roadblocks.

The NGF also called for the harmonisation of levies imposed on agricultural produce across Nigerian states. President of CITN, Innocent Ohagwa, in a statement, at the weekend, said the resolution, which followed a detailed briefing by the office of the National Security Adviser and key ministers, was a step in the right direction in improving the food supply chain and addressing food inflation.

He equally urged the Executive Secretary of the Joint Tax Board, Olusegun Philip Adesokan, to liaise with the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to implement the directive.

He said the governors, on their part, should ensure the implementation of statutory allocation of the required percentage of the state’s internally generated revenue to their local government councils.

The decision, Ohagwa said, if uniformly implemented across all states, will not only improve food availability but also enhance public trust, reduce cost-push inflation and support the livelihoods of millions of Nigerians.

While he commended the NGF for recognising the role fiscal coordination and administrative streamlining play in achieving national development objectives, the CITN chief said the widespread imposition of illegal levies and multiple taxes on agricultural transportation has disrupted supply chains of foods.

Ohagwa, said the CITN, as the professional body statutorily empowered to regulate tax practice in Nigeria, has long advocated against multiplicity of taxes and unregulated collection practices.

The practices, he said, increase compliance burdens, discourage investment and result in revenue losses for the government.