The Anambra government on Tuesday shut down Eke-Awka market, the major market in the state capital, over refusal of traders to pay their taxes worth more than N10 million. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that policemen with the assistance of some members of the state vigilante services stormed the market as early as 6:30 a.m. to enforce the order. Mr Robert Okonkwo, the Commissioner for Commerce, Mines, Agriculture and Industry, said that the traders, especially the women, had ‘blatantly’ refused to pay their taxes. Okonkwo said that each shop occupier was expected to pay N3, 000 per annum, but regretted that less than 1,000 traders had paid their tax out of about 4,000 shop occupiers. “This is just pure disobedience of law. We have been here (Eke-Awka market) at least 10 times to dialogue with them. “We talked with all the traders including women. We pleaded and educated them on the need for them to pay their taxes. “Till date they have been fighting government. You can’t fight government on tax. “If we actually assess each of the traders, none will pay less than N50, 000. “We called it a minimum tax of N3, 000 per annum, yet they have refused to corporate. “Tax is the reason government has been able to provide social amenities for the people and the general good looking of the place.” He recalled that the traditional ruler of Awka, Igwe Gibson Nwosu, the state House of Assembly and some prominent indigenes of the state had waded into the matter, urging the traders to pay their taxes. · Cue in audio 1 (Okonkwo) “I want to state this emphatically, that until all revenue, all taxes owed to state government is collected, this market will be closed. “So it is up to them. If they pay up today, this market will open today, if they pay tomorrow, we will open it tomorrow, if they pay next year, we will open it next year. “We are patiently waiting for them to this. All up to them not up to us.” · Cue out audio 1 Also speaking, the Chairman of the state Internal Revenue Services, Mr Nwanne Ejikeme, said that government was taking further steps to try defaulters in court. · Cue in audio 2 (Ejikeme) “Eventually all these defaulters will be taken to court and they must pay, if they don’t pay they go to prison. That is what the law says. “Every person living in Anambra state whether is a man or a woman, have a means of livelihood that refuses to pay taxes to government is an enemy of the state. “Because the road you are looking at here, Ziks Avenue, we know how it was before this government came to place. It’s been built and then so many other things that this government has done. “It is not free of charge. People must contribute their own little quota as taxes towards this and it is not a plea.” · Cue out audio 2 On his part, Mr Jude Agunmadu, Chairman of the market, said all efforts by the executive to dialogue with the traders were futile. Agunmadu said that only about 500 traders had paid their taxes, a situation, which he said, was unacceptable. “They even fought our tax force members in an attempt to ensure payment of taxes. Government even gave the traders more than two months to comply but they refused.” Meanwhile, the state assembly during its plenary on Tuesday urged the state government to reconsider their stand on the closure of the market. The members noted that the N3,000 tax payment was double taxation having subjected the traders to various levies to tune of N9, 600 per annum, which they said, was separate from N2,000 electricity levy. They, however, urged the House Committee on Commerce and Industry to proffer recommendation or solution on the matter. Also, some traders from the market, mostly women in their hundreds, staged a peaceful protest along the popular Ziks Avenue down to the Aroma junction. Meanwhile, Mr Obi Ochije, the Public Relations Officer of Awka South Market Amalgamated Traders Union (ASMATU), has appealed to the government to rescind its decision over the closure of the market. "Asking traders to pay N3,000 each as tax is exorbitant. Some of them just returned from the North with their children to start something.``
Posted on: Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:43:33 +0000
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