N1,000 POC on vehicles is double taxation- Lagos Lawyer – Newstrends
Connect with us

metro

N1,000 POC on vehicles is double taxation- Lagos Lawyer

Published

on

vehicle’s proof of ownership certificate

N1,000 POC on vehicles is double taxation- Lagos Lawyer

A Lagos based Lawyer, Mr Francis Ogunbowale, on Wednesday, described the newly announced N1,000 Proof of Ownership Certificates on Vehicles, as being double taxation.

Ogunbowale a member of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL), spoke in reaction to the recent announcement of N1,000 annual Proof of Ownership Certificate (POC) verification of vehicles.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation had on June 27, disclosed at a press conference, that the state had begun implementation of payment of N1,000 annual POC verification of vehicles.

Among other reasons,, government had said that the policy would  enhance transparency, security and accountability within the transportation network;

It said that the policy would streamline and enhance the process of vehicle ownership verification; and serve as official documentation for the legal owners of vehicles;

Ogunbowale, in his reaction, said the disclosure was not only strange, but also came as a shock and a bitter pill to swallow on the eve of the Sallah celebration.

READ ALSO:

He told NAN that where the details of a vehicle had not changed, the newly introduced payment was simply unecessary and amounted  to double taxation.

“What obtains before now is that where the information of a vehicle did not change, payment for PoC verification annually will be grossly unnecessary and exploitative.

“It will amount to double taxation in the face of payment for vehicle license that is renewable every year.

“The National Road Traffic Regulation No. 101, Vol. 99, 2012 (as amended) under which the Joint Tax Board resolved to introduce payment of annual POC renewal, did not provide for any payment or verification of POC every year,” he said

Ogunbowale noted that the reasons given by the government to justify this payment also does not add up.

“The truth is that a one-off payment of POC with data carefully stored in the computer hardware of the Ministry of Transport platform, is capable of promoting transparency, security and accountability desired within the transportation network.

“Rather than overburden the vehicle owners with additional annual payment of N1,000, government can enhance the already existing vehicle ownership verification strategy, by deploying a very simple technology and hardware, which transport officers can use to verify through mobile gadgets, as done in other climes.

“There is nothing wrong in the official documentation of a legal owner of a vehicle through the issuance of custom papers and Vehicle License that usually contain particulars of both the owner and the vehicle.

“The issuance of POC should not be an annual event and payment, except government deliberately wants to increase the internally generated revenue at all costs, not minding the needless pains to the citizens,” he said (NAN)

Advertisement

metro

200,000 repentant terrorists surrender, drop arms in North East – CDS

Published

on

Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa

200,000 repentant terrorists surrender, drop arms in North East – CDS

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has disclosed that about 200,000 repentant terrorists have so far dropped their arms and surrendered to troops in the North East, noting that the twin strategy of kinetic and non-kinetic operations was responsible for this achievement.

The CDS made this known at the Security and Justice Symposium organised by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in collaboration with the British High Commission, which began at the National Counterterrorism Centre in Abuja on Tuesday.

He disclosed that the theme of the symposium, ”Securing Peace, Ensuring Justice, Protection, Conduct, and Accountability,” speaks volumes about the deluge of security challenges the armed forces and security agencies are facing.

His words, “All the challenges we are facing today have to do with fairness, equity, justice, and accountability.

“There will not be peace without justice, equity, fairness, and accountability. In our operations, we are conducting both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies, which have to a large extent yielded significant successes, and we want to particularly thank the National Security Adviser for his great support in this regard.

“Nigeria is going through so many challenges, and we feel we’re able to address this, and everybody has a sense of belonging. A lot of the security challenges we are having, we are sure, will go down. I want to thank the National Security Advisor for all the support he’s given us, both the kinetic and the non-kinetic.

“We have said it; the kinetic aspect is just less than 30%. The non-kinetic has a lot to play. The non-kinetic, because when you have democracy, people must have the evidence of democracy. As long as it tells people to sleep well and be peaceful, and they are hungry, their children cannot eat, and all this creates more problems.

READ ALSO:

“The issue of informants. We have to look at how we tackle this issue of informants. Because these are the people who have created the issue.

200,000 repentant terrorists surrender, drop arms in North East – CDS

Continue Reading

metro

Robbers kill two members in shoot-out with Delta police

Published

on

Robbers kill two members in shoot-out with Delta police

The spokesperson for the police in Delta State, SP Bright Edafe, has confirmed the death of two robbery suspects in the state.

Mr Edafe, who disclosed this to journalists on Tuesday in Warri, said that the deceased were killed from the bullets shot by their gang members.

According to him, the incident occurred on Wednesday at Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of the state.

Mr Edafe explained that the deceased were leading the police surveillance team attached to the Ekpan Division to their hideout when they were caught during a shoot-out.

READ ALSO:

“The suspects were arrested at Effurun roundabout with a bag containing 57 live cartridges and other items. They were leading the surveillance team to their hideout at Warri/Sapele road when their gang members, on sighting the vehicle of the police team, engaged them in a shootout.During the gun duel, the arrested suspects that were leading the police team were fatally wounded by the gun shot of their colleagues. The two injured suspects were taken to the hospital and later died while receiving treatment,” he said.

Mr Edafe said that items recovered from the hoodlums hideout included: one English pump action gun, one locally made cut-to-size gun and eight live cartridges.

Others were: six iPhones, Smart phones and a Rolex wrist watch.

He said that the command had intensified manhunt on the fleeing members of the gang.

 

Robbers kill two members in shoot-out with Delta police

(NAN)

Continue Reading

metro

Akwa Ibom businessman abducted, driver killed, police orderly injured

Published

on

Dr. Samuel Ekerenam
Akwa Ibom businessman abducted, driver killed, police orderly injured
Gunmen kidnapped a prominent businessman, Dr. Samuel Ekerenam and k!lled his driver in Eket town, the headquarter of Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
Ekerena, the owner of Hephzibah Mall, was abducted about 10:00pm on Saturday, 23 November, 2024.
It was gathered that the gunmen trailed the victim to the shopping complex, shooting sporadically to scare the passers-by away before whisking him away to an unknown destination.
READ ALSO:
The body of Ekerenam’s driver was discovered in the pool of his blood, while his police orderly was severely wounded in the gun attack.
The spokesperson of the State Police Command, ASP Timfon John, who confirmed the incident on Monday, November 25, said the Commissioner of Police, CP Joseph Eribo has deployed tactical operatives to comb for the abducted businessman.
The PPRO added that the police were on top of the game and very soon the kidnap victim would be rescued and the perpetrators made to face the full weight of the law.

Akwa Ibom businessman abducted, driver killed, police orderly injured

Continue Reading

Trending