NGO decries excessive taxation in AKS

*Advocates for a review in taxation system  *As mixed reactions trail Gov. Udom’s free ticket bonanza for traders

BY NSEOBONG DAVID

A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) in partnership with OXFAM and NOVIB has condemned incessant taxation in the informal sector in Akwa Ibom State, saying it is inimical to the growth of the state.

This was revealed in a one day validation meeting of a research on Taxation in the Informal Sector in Akwa Ibom State held by CISLAC with stakeholders from the informal sector including revenue officers from the 31 LGAs, artisans, etc on Friday, 31st March, 2017 in Uyo.

The facilitator, Mr. Harry Udo said the validation meeting became necessary after a research carried out by the group, which revealed among others, that taxes are collected by consultants, especially at the Local Government Levels while tax officials are left redundant and completely not part of the tax collection process.

Mr. Udo further stated that the research provided a document on the problems identified, to engage government in the advocacy of a sustainable tax system that would provide for tax justice on the people to ensure economic development in the state.

According to Mr. Udo: “the issue of tax is such that government can pull revenue from the people to make development for the people, so when you find situations such that we discovered through this research, that consultants collect money from the people and they don’t remit all the money to the government, they take most part of the money, they share with politicians, and only a token goes to the coffers of the government for government work, that doesn’t augur well for development, so we want that the government to look at the issue of tax all over again and ensure that right taxes are paid; and paid in such a way that people are not impoverished by reason of paying tax.”

On his part, the Revenue Officer in charge of Eket Local Government Area, Mr. S. I. Edemeka commended CISLAC for the research carried out on revenue generation in the state, noting that revenue is the main stay of any state.  He pointed out that the main problem in the revenue system is the use of consultants or agents, which makes their duties as revenue officers to be redundant, as those consultants do not carry them along in the revenue business.

Mr. Edemeka said: “markets shouldn’t be resources to be given out on contracts because of certain arrangements that are involved.  We have market guidelines that guide the collection of revenues at the market, but some of these rules are not obeyed by the agents. Their interest is to collect money, impose all kinds of levies on the traders and engage the services of thugs, which are outside the guidelines of market operations.”

He expressed optimism that the research validation meeting would proffer solutions to problems encountered in taxation in the informal sector in Akwa Ibom State.

Meanwhile, mixed reactions have trailed Governor Udom’s free ticket bonanza for traders in the state.

It could be recalled that last year, the State Governor, Deacon Udom Gabriel Emmanuel had declared every Thursday as Ticket-Free Day for traders in all the markets across the state.  This gesture by the Governor was a transformation for the traders.  They were happy that the Ticket Free Day would enhance more profits in their sales, as those ticket agents would no longer disturb them on Thursdays.

The INK reporter who carried out a survey in Etaha Itam market on Thursday last week to ascertain the level of compliance by the ticket agents, observed from some traders in the market that enforcement of the Ticket-Free Day was not carried out in its entirety.

In a chat with newsmen, Mr. Chukwude said: “the ticket agents came and collected some money from me for ticket, even without giving me any ticket.”  Other traders; Mrs. Enobong Akpan, Destiny and Ekaette said the ticket agents came in the early hours of that Thursday and molested them, poured away their goods and used violence to collect monies from them in the name of tickets.  Enobong Akpan added: “like today, they rang a bell in the morning, saying that the old market executive has been dissolved; that traders would buy tickets from next Thursday, but we don’t know if the directive is coming from the Governor.”

The traders used the opportunity to suggest that government agents should conduct unscheduled visits to the market, especially during the early hours of every Thursday, which they said was the only way to arrest the culprits and checkmate illegal levies on them.

Another trader, Ms. Comfort who sells waterleaf, said that one of the agents by name “Aniekan” has been a terror on them, adding that the said Aniekan does not miss a day (including Thursdays) in extorting them for tickets.

However, other traders including Mr. Ekpeno Uwem , said they were lucky not to have been victims of illegal levies by the agents on Thursdays, as they were fully enjoying the Free Ticket Day bonanza on Thursdays as declared by His Excellency.

The revenue officer in charge of Eket Local Government Area, Mr. S. I. Edemeka also confirmed that traders in Eket LGA are enjoying the Thursday Free Ticket Day bonanza given to them by the Governor.

The traders lauded the state Governor for having the interest of traders at heart and prayed for more of God’s grace upon Governor Udom Emmanuel, to enable him deliver the dividends of democracy to Akwa Ibom people.