Market women, business operators as well as transporters in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, have raised the alarm over what they called ‘persistent and mindless’ taxation by the state government.
The multiple levies, according to the traders, have had a negative impact on their businesses, noting that some have shut down especially petty trading.
Some of them who spoke revealed that different revenue collectors such as officials of the state revenue service, Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency (AKSEPWMA), Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources, local government council etc, go about collecting money ranging from sanitation, signpost, development rate, shop rate to public health which is nothing less than N5,000 each.
This was after payment of a certain sum to the Inland Revenue Service for registration of business premises.
One Mfon Ebreso, who sells waterleaf at the popular Akpanadem market, Uyo, told our correspondent that they pay levies three times every day to those officials who are always hostile to the poor market women explaining that they pay N1500 in the morning as soon as they open their wares; N100 in the afternoon and N150 in the evening.
She lamented the hostile attitude of the collectors saying that anybody who was reluctant or refuses to pay would have her goods seized or destroyed as the case may be.
According to her, ”What we suffer in this market is a constant levy. Those village people who bring waterleaf to sell in the morning market must pay N1500, 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 are N250 every day 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 the plaza, the hub of activities in Uyo metropolis, have their fair share of over taxation, as a trader, Ugonna Maxwell told our correspondent that most of the officials compel 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 taxations as a bane to business growth in the state, especially the upcoming businesses.
He noted that some of them would demand 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 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.
“They will come to my space and said pay for cleaning, sanitation, without giving me a refuse bin, from different Ministries, and when you check in the receipt you find out it is different companies, sometimes I asked if it is Ministry of Environment, why this company’s name written on the receipt, they always insist that they are from the government. They are extorting people and still call themselves government.
“Even those from the PHEDC are not left out, the estimated bill is quite outrageous. I’m not afraid of taxation, but let me pay to the right people and to the right source. Payment should be documented in the system and notification of payment sent to the client either through email or SMS.
“Govt should do something about people who move into peoples business premises to extort them, if you are a real agent please be very legal and civil.”
Also, the president of Keke Owners/Riders Association (KORA) in Akwa Ibom, Comrade Jeremiah Jackson, during the recent empowerment of members decried the level of multiple taxations 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 task force impounding our members’ tricycles at Ikot Ekpene motor park is illegal and not known to the state government.”
Similarly, minibus drivers also pay heavily to different unions and to the state government.
Investigation revealed that minibus operators pay as much as N500 per day against the usual N200 approved by the Ministry of Transport in Akwa Ibom on all routes.
A minibus operator, who spoke under anonymity, said, ”Initially, we used to pay N100 before it was moved to N200 by the MOT. But we are paying N500 and most of us are driving these buses under ‘hire purchase’ we want the State government to intervene. The suffering is too much.”
The Chairman, AKSEPWMA, Hon. Prince Ikim has said most persons collecting the levies are not government officials, adding that the agency has started clamping down on them.
However, the Chairman of the State Revenue Service, Mr Okon Okon, who was accused of being behind the act, has refused to react to a letter sent by journalists to seek his comment for over three weeks.
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