Ekiti Traders Cry Out Over Annual Increment Of Tax

By Ayodele Oni

Association of Traders and Shop Owners of King’s Market, (Erekesan), Ado Ekiti have appealed to Governor Biodun Oyebanji and relevant stakeholders to prevail on the management of the Ekiti State Internal Revenue Service to operate with human face and empathy.

But, the revenue generating agency has described the outburst of the traders as “politically motivated.”

The appeal of the traders and the shop owners was sequel to what they described as an obnoxious tax regime, multiple tax and arbitrary closure of their shops by the organisation.

A recent survey has ranked Ekiti among states which generate highest income from internally generated revenue.

The grievance of the traders is contained in a statement signed by Mrs Aremu, welfare, Mr Ayodele Denge, Treasurer and Mr Dickson Ndukuba Financial Secretary.

According to the statement, the people lamented that they have been suffocated with the yearly Increment in Income Tax Rate especially between 2024 and 2025.

They explained that the annual tax leveled on them, increased by more than 400 percent, despite several meetings held with management of the Ekiti State Internal Revenue at Oke -Ori-Omi Branch, where they presented the challenges and constraints of the traders to them, but all to no avail.

The traders noted that some traders who paid N16,000 in 2024 were awarded  N75,000 in 2025, describing such development as unacceptable.

The statement reads:”We have started receiving threat messages from the body in charge of Revenue in Ekiti State under the leadership of one Madam Ireti to lock up our shops where we earn our daily living, forgetting the fact that we are

currently weigh down by multiple taxes and levies from various government departments, which are duplicated out of proportion, creating unnecessary financial pressure on us.

“We therefore call on the Government of Ekiti -State, the Ministry of Commerce and the internal Revenue to urgently intervene and address the aforementioned challenges.

“We the entire traders in Oja-Oba Erekesan Ado – Ekiti are standing to say ‘Enough of extortion.’ We can no longer breathe,’ Reduce the tax rate to a bearable level.”

Reacting, the Chairman of Ekiti State Internal Revenue Service, Olaniran Olatona described the clamour as a politically motivated noise directed to discredit the administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji.

He explained that the Agency has not enforced any tax policy in the last eight months, urging the concerned traders to visit his office for further clarification.

“Let them come to my office. If they have been given any tax liability that is small, let them write a letter to the office of the chairman because it’s a lie.

“We have not done any enforcement in almost eight month. So what is the noise about? It’s a lie. And if they know that they have been overbilled, I will refer it to the audit department.

“If they have been overbilled in it, then another branch of my agency will look into it. Some of these things are politically motivated, which the Governor and everybody is aware of.

“So whatever they are saying is politically motivated, and it’s not extreme. By the time the primaries are done, everybody’s eyes will be clear again.”