3rd March, 2011
Traders in Ajeromi/Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State under the auspices of Traders Union Coalition Congress, TUCC, have appealed to the Lagos State Government to look into illegal and multiple taxation allegedly imposed on them by the local government.
The group, in a statement, decried the way the local government exploited traders in the area and called on the state governor, Mr. Babtunde Raji Fashola, to correct this growing anomaly.
Chairman of TUCC, Chidi Onu, expressed dissatisfaction with the multiple taxes traders in the area were being forced to pay by the tax collectors and the local government.
“They use unlawful and non existing tax models to extort money from us. They tax us for selling pepper soup, fried meat, tavern, foodstuff, kerosene and others. This is simply ridiculous,†the TUCC leader stated.
He explained that if any member of the TUCC was selling about five different items in a shop, the trader will have to pay tax on each of the commodities, including satchet water.
He explained that his members were made to pay up to N5,000 on a commodity and a member could end up paying about N20,000 on all the commodities in his shop.
Onu disclosed that two of his members were sexual harassed last year by the tax collectors who promised not to harass them anymore if they had sex with them.
“The local government tax agency is paralysing the government rather than promoting the government of Governor Raji Fashola and the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN.
”We want to state clearly that we are not opposed to the payment of tax and we have always encouraged our members to pay their tax as at when due, but what we are opposed to is this tax regime designed to tax us out of business and existence,” he stated.
The TUCC leader claimed that twice his group wrote letters to the local authority, pleading with it to resolve the issue amicably, but there was no response to the letters.
He expressed satisfaction with Governor Fashola’s decision to harmonise all the taxes payable to the state by signing into law a bill harmonizing all taxes.