Skip to main content

Kogi Government Mandates POS Operators, Other Small Businesses To Register, Pay Taxes

September 15, 2021

The government threatened that business operators would be sanctioned if they fail to comply with the provisions of the law.

The Kogi State Government has mandated an official registration of all businesses to all business operators within the state with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The government threatened that business operators would be sanctioned if they fail to comply with the provisions of the law.

Image

The Point of Sale terminal (PoS) operators, petty traders, miners, contractors handling jobs for the state government and others, have till October 14, 2021, to get registered or face stiff sanctions.

This was disclosed by the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Gabriel Olofu at a joint press conference organised by the ministry and the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KGIRS) in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.

Olofu urged business operators in the state to pay their taxes directly into KGIRS specified account and obtain receipt or teller after which they would proceed to the ministry to obtain their Business Premises certificate.

The commissioner explained that direct payment of taxes to the bank is in accordance with the cashless policy of the Governor Yahaya Bello administration.

He added that the state tax force on revenue drive would tour all business establishments in the state to enforce the law at the expiration of the one month given by the ministry.

He noted that the state Ministry of Commerce and KGIRS have area tax officers in various local government areas and other strategic positions to assist taxpayers to meet up their payments.

According to him, the provisions of the law cover a wide range of enterprises and “Kogi State Government of Nigeria Registration of Business Premises Law, 2007; Section 2, Sub Section 4 of registration of business premises law and other matters connected therewith 2007, interprets business premises to mean: the premises on which the company, firm or individual carried or carries on any business, whether fenced or not.

“Section 2, subsection 2 interprets business to include any trade, industry or profession and any occupation carried on for profit in Kogi State.

“Section 3, subsection 1 of the aforementioned law further provides that premises of business of every company, firm or individual carrying on any business in the State shall be registered in the manner prescribed in this law.”

The acting Chairman KGIRS, Mallam Yusufu Abubakar who was represented by Director, roads tax and other revenue, Mr Olubumi Ajayi, warned revenue officers either from the Ministry of Commerce or Revenue Service against collecting taxes by cash from business operators.