Traders and transporters in Uyo, have raised alarm over what they called ‘persistent and mindless’ taxation by agencies of the state government and touts on them.
Some of the traders and most of whom belong to the petty trading category who spoke with correspondents revealed that as many as five agencies and government offices collect levies from them, some on a daily or weekly basis.
The agencies according to them include State Revenue Service, State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency (AKSEPWMA), Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources and Uyo Local Government Council with the levies ranging from Sanitation, sign post, development rate, shop rate to public health with each charging nothing less than N5,000.
And this would be after the payment of a certain sum to the Inland Revenue Service for registration of bussiness premises.
One Mfon Ebreso who sells water leaf at popular Akpanadem market, Uyo told newsmen that they pay levies three times every day to hostile officials who who collect between N100 and N1,500 thrive daily while your goods could be seized or destroyed for defaulting to pay.
According to her, ”what we suffer in this market is constant levy those village people who bring water leaf to sell in the morning market must pay N1500 every, those selling Mfi(periwinkle) pay N1000, if you don’t pay, those boys will not allow you to open your market,(wares).
“In the afternoon, they will collect N100 while in the evening it is N150. All tickets in the market is 250 everyday apart from the N1500 those people who come for bush market pay. Sometimes those boys, who call themselves Udom boys will come and say, give me N3000, if you don’t, they will put your wares in the gutter, you will not see them again.”
Also, those selling at plaza, the hub of activities in Uyo metropolis have their fair share of over taxation, as a trader, Ugonna Maxwell told correspondents that most of these officials compelled them to pay some levies at a smaller amount without issuing any official receipt to them.
When an entrepreneur in the state, Jeremiah Ukpe was contacted, he described continuous multiple taxation as a bane to bussiness growth in the state especially the upcoming businesses.
Ukpe who is the Chief Executive Officer of Aniferaz, noted that some of them would demand for negotiations or payment of items not within their jurisdiction such as signage pasted on a building even as he called for training and retraining of the genuine officials.
According to him, “taxation now in Akwa Ibom is back to back, FIRS will come, Environment will come, PHEDC will come, AKSEPWMA will come, local government officials will come.
“The stress of paying for everything is just too much. Even a signage on the building they will ask you to pay taxation, in my case I said no, you pay when it’s on government open land Sometimes if you argue with those officials they will know that you know their tricks, the next thing they will say is, bros, let’s negotiate.
“Govt should do something about people who move into peoples business premises to extort them, if you are real agent please be very legal and civil.”
Also the president of Keke Owners/Riders Association, (KORA) in Akwa Ibom, Comrade Jeremiah Jackson during a recent empowerment of members with 30 tricycles decried the level of multiple taxation on members against the state government prescribed unified tax payment system.
Jackson said, “NURTW impounds our members’ Tricycles, particularly those who come from Ikot Ekpene, asking them to buy emblem and tickets against the state approved unified ticket. The operation of an unknown taskforce impounding our members Tricycles at Ikot Ekpene motor park is illegal and not known to the state government.”
Similarly, Mini bus drivers also pay heavily to different unions and to the state government as investigation revealed that mini bus operators pay as much as N500 per day against the usual N200 approved by the Ministry of Transport in Akwa Ibom on all routes with many who drive the buses on hire purchase unable to meet up with their daily or weekly deposits.
Chairman, AKSEPWMA, Mr Prince Ikim has said most persons collecting the levies are not government officials adding that the agency has started clamping down on them.
But the Chairman of the State Revenue Service, Mr Okon Okon who was accused of being behind the act has refused to react as a letter(concerning the issue) sent to his office by journalists over three weeks remained unattended to.
