The administration of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi in Enugu State has taken a bold step towards promoting uniformity in the application of road tax laws in the state and across states in order to avoid double or multiple taxation.
The administration through the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service (ESIRS), yesterday, launched the Single Inter State Road Stickers (SIRTS) and Single Haulage Fee (SHF) in the state.
Speaking during the launch of the scheme, Chairman of Enugu State Internal Revenue Service (ESIRS), Prince Emeka Odo said the exercise was in line with the initiative of the Joint Tax Board (JTB) which the state government under the leadership of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has keyed into in the interest of its tax payers.
Odo said: “JTB last year introduced the Single Haulage Fee (SHF) at points of loading and off-loading in states of departure or discharge and the Single Inter-State Road Taxes Sticker (SIRTS) for any vehicle within Nigeria.”
The ESIRS Chairman announced that Governor Ugwuanyi approved and adopted the mandate with effect from January 1, 2023, revealing that Enugu State “will now make use of a Single Inter State Sticker for all commercial vehicles that ply on its road anywhere in the state.”
Explaining the modalities, Odo said: “The Single Haulage Fee will be paid at the point of loading or off-loading of any type of goods anywhere in Enugu State. These SIRTS and SHF are to be handled and enforced by Enugu State Internal Revenue Service. All motorists are expected to pay for SIRTS either at the point of registration/renewal of papers or with the Enugu State approved consultant while SHF will be paid per trip.
“These payments will be made at the point of loading through a profiled vendor who will capture the details of the haulage operator into the system. The system will use the information to determine the amount to be paid. Any sticker bought elsewhere apart from ESIRS is illegal.”
The Chairman stated that ESIRS has put measures in place to ensure that illegal persons do not duplicate the physical stickers hence the adoption of the electronic sticker that will have a Quick Response Code that will enable seamless verification.
“Alongside the electronic stickers, the taxpayers will be issued a POS payment printout showing details of payment. The electronic sticker has been enhanced with internal control mechanism which comes with specialized bar codes and embedded details, including vehicle particulars and serial numbers for authentication. The electronic stickers also come with new improved security features such as anti-counterfeit properties and authentication system against fraud,” he said.
