Akwa Ibom To Collect Tax For Alcohol Consumption – Commissioner

Mr Akan Okon, the Akwa Ibom Commissioner for Finance in Akwa Ibom state, said the state would begin to tax consumption of alcohol in hotels and beer parlours.

Okon who spoke to newsmen in Uyo on Saturday said the people who consumed alcoholic drinks would begin to pay a token as tax.

“Some people who lodge in hotels and consume alcohol will henceforth pay taxes to the state government. The focus is to look inward to see how the various opportunities that are available in the state can be harnessed to raise the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR)”.

The commissioner, however, decried the attitude of some businessmen in the informal sector of the economy who failed to pay tax to government. Mr Okon stated that if those in the informal sector paid their taxes, government of Akwa Ibom would pull resources together to provide social amenities in the state. He said that property tax and entertainment tax were not collected in the state in order for tax uniformity in the state.

He further explained that the state government had put measures in place to ensure that revenue opportunities were tapped to boost its internally generated revenue and that new tax consultant had been appointed to block leakages associated with revenue collection.

“We have in place a new consultant that is working closely to ensure that we block all the leakages associated with revenue collection system in the state,’’ he said.