Yobe introduces cattle tax ‘to tackle rustling’

The Yobe government says cattle owners in the state will, henceforth, be expected to pay tax on their livestock.

Baba Wali, secretary to the state government, disclosed this during a sensitisation exercise on the reintroduction of livestock tax and mitigation of farmer/pastoral conflict on Thursday.

Wali explained that the decision was taken in line with discussions held with members of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) in the state.

According to NAN, he also noted that the tax implementation will tackle cattle rustling, as it will provide database on the livestock for each cattle owner.

“At a security meeting held by the governor and critical stakeholders sometime in March, the national chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) proposed the introduction of cattle tax in the state,” he said.

“The proposal was unanimously agreed by all stakeholders, because apart from increasing the state revenue base, the process of collecting the taxes will also tackle the menace of cattle rustling.

“If a herdsman pays tax for a total of 100 cows in 2021, and in 2022 he is seen with 200 cows, he will definitely have some explanation to make.”

Wali added that the tax-collecting committee will be headed by Mairo Amshi, commissioner for agriculture, who will determine the amount to charge per cattle, as well as the payment process.