Master Bakers in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State have decried the multiplicity of taxes and levies imposed on them, daily, by Government agents in the State.
They described as unbearable, the harassment their staff face, daily from these touts, who claim to be working for the State Government.
They appealed to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to investigate the activities of these agents and save their businesses from folding up.
Emmanuel Amachukwu, chairman, Association of Master Bakers, Aba chapter, who made this known, Monday in Aba, during an interview with BusinessDay, observed that the State Governor may not be aware of activities of these people and the duplication of taxes imposed on law-abiding entrepreneurs in the area.
READ ALSO: Aba residents to pay more for bread when Master Bakers resume(Opens in a new browser tab)
According to him, every of our vehicle that goes out to sell bread on the streets is forced to pay what they refer to as “Daily Ticket” of N1,400.
This is as the same vehicle will pay “parking permit, distribution permit, and obstruction permit”.
“Do they expect us to hand our vehicles in the air to sell our products, after getting distribution permits? Won’t we park the vehicle before selling it to customers?
“This is unbearable. Each time they impound our vehicle and take it to their office, at Umukalika, in Obingwa Local Government Area of the State, we pay nothing less than N80,000, before it will be released.
“We are going public here because we know the Governor is not aware of all these problems.
“These people are giving him a bad image in Aba. Everybody, who is seeing what they’re doing will link the Governor to it, but I can assure you that these people are doing these illegal businesses without his knowledge and we are calling on him, to save us from this hardship we are faced with.
“We have been pushed to the wall. Some bakeries are folding up, others are relocating to other States, because of multiple taxations.
“A small bus that takes a small consignment of bread that is not up to N15,000, pays over N1,400, daily, and these funds do not go to the government’s purse.
“They have sent out messages that they will start impounding our vehicles. These hoodlums are working against the Governor because they are using his name to perpetuate all kinds of intimidation and harassment”, he stated
