Торговцы в Энугу перекрыли рынок и протестовали против избирательного взимания транспортного сбора

By Dennis Agbo ENUGU — Commercial activities were disrupted at Obollo-Afor Market in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State on Wednesday as traders shut their shops and protested against what they described as selective collection of a N25,000 haulage levy on trucks loading and offloading goods at the market. The traders, who carried placards with various inscriptions, marched to the Udenu Local Government secretariat to present their grievances to council officials. They alleged that the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service (ESIRS) had singled out Obollo-Afor Market for the collection of the haulage levy, claiming that similar charges were not being imposed at other markets in the state. However, the Chairman of ESIRS, Mr Emmanuel Nnamani, in a letter to the traders, explained that the haulage levy was not payable by traders buying or selling goods in markets. According to him, the levy applies strictly to truck drivers operating on interstate routes. Speaking at the council secretariat, Chairman of the Obollo-Afor Market Traders Association, Mr Charles Eze, said the alleged levy had discouraged truck operators from bringing goods to the market. Eze said some truck owners had diverted their consignments to Orba, Enugu-Ezike, Nsukka and Orie-Igboeze, allegedly because they were not required to pay similar charges at those locations. “The truck owners have diverted our goods to Orba, Enugu-Ezike, Nsukka and Orie-Igboeze, asking us to come and pick our goods there because they don’t pay such levies there except in Obollo-Afor. And so we are asking, why Obollo alone?” he asked. Eze said traders had no objection to the state’s e-ticketing system, which he said they had been complying with, but described the alleged selective haulage levy as unfair. He said the development had resulted in a decline in the flow of goods to the market for more than two months. According to him, traders had attempted to engage the revenue service over the matter but were yet to reach a resolution. “This is the reason we closed shops for protest because truck operators bringing goods for us have refused to come to Obollo-Afor and it has crumbled the Obollo-Afor market and hunger has set in,” he said. Eze appealed to Governor Peter Mbah to intervene, stressing that traders were not opposed to paying legitimate taxes and levies. “We are not saying that we won’t pay levies, but let it be fees that are equally obtained in other places. We are ready to pay any amount of levy that is obtained in Akwata, Ogbete, Nsukka, Orba or in any other market in the state, but let Obollo-Afor not be an exception or singled out for selective taxation,” he said. Other market leaders who participated in the protest, including Chief James Odo of the Foodstuff Dealers Association and Chief Damian Nwodo of the Electrical and Electronics Dealers Association, also expressed concern over the impact of the levy on their businesses. Responding on behalf of the Udenu Local Government Council, its Secretary, Mr Chika Aroh, said the council had scheduled a meeting with representatives of ESIRS to clarify whether the levy was being collected only in Obollo-Afor. Aroh said the council would communicate its findings to the traders after the meeting. “But for now, we will tell them to stop the collection. After the Thursday meeting, we will communicate with you. Our promise is that we will remedy the matter,” he said.