Oyo Government Debunks Viral Entertainment Tax Rumour
The Oyo State Government has strongly denied a viral social media post claiming that it plans to impose taxes on social activities such as weddings, burials, and naming ceremonies, describing the report as fake, misleading, and intended to tarnish the image of Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration.
The government clarified that there is no such policy under consideration and urged members of the public to disregard the misinformation.
In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, the government explained that any official document relating to taxation or levies in Oyo State must contain a revenue code for payment and bear the signature of the Chairman of the Oyo State Internal Revenue Board. None of these features appeared in the viral document, which further proves its falsity.
Oyelade also pointed out that the fake notice omitted the mandatory official address, Oyo State Internal Revenue Office, which is a legal requirement in all authentic government releases concerning tax matters.
He warned that as the next general elections approach, political actors may intensify efforts to spread misinformation to undermine the achievements recorded by the Makinde administration in the past seven years.
The Commissioner appealed to bloggers, journalists, and online platforms to verify their stories before publication, urging them to avoid being tools in the spread of fake news capable of misleading the public and heating up the polity.
