The Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) Anambra State chapter has threatened to shut down services if the state government refuses to reverse the heavy taxation on transporters.
RTEAN issued the warning following a joint meeting held on Thursday in Awka, the state capital.
The association said that they would within the next two weeks down tool if the state government refuses to call them for a meeting to address the challenges.
Chinedu Nwabueze, state chairman, RTEAN, who is also deputy state chairman, Trade Union Congress (TUC), said that they had sent several letters to the state government on the matter without any response.
According to him, the state government, through the State Board of Internal Revenue, has been heavily taxing transporters and intimidating drivers.
“The state government has been double taxing us, harassing our members, and intimidating our drivers, which has on several occasions, led to the death of our members,” he stated.
He criticized the government’s policies on the sub-transport sector, arguing that they have been implemented without consideration of key stakeholders.
Read also: RTEAN: TUC besieges Lagos Assembly, says Sanwo-Olu should fulfil promises
Nwabueze noted that the State Revenue Service has repeatedly awarded contracts to individuals and companies for the collection of levies and taxes on federal roads in the state, describing the collections as illegal and unconstitutional.
He revealed that an average tricycle driver in the state pays about N96,000 in taxes annually, while those operating in major markets pay less than N30,000 each year.
He argued that the taxation on tricycle drivers, which is meant to alleviate poverty, is excessively high and unacceptable.
“We shall resist the government agents collecting levies and taxes on federal highways from our members,” he said.
He said that President Bola Tinubu has given order stopping collections of levies and taxes on some items, like food stuffs and others, but in Anambra State, they still collect the illegal fees.
He appealed to President Tinubu and the Inspector General of Police to empower them to enforce the order on federal highways.
He also appealed to the state government to convene a stakeholders’ roundtable within the next two weeks to discuss the issue, warning that if not addressed, they would be left with no choice but to shut down services or seek legitimate actions.
According to him, the union is not fighting the state government’s policies, but opposing the detrimental policies that undermine the government’s good intentions.
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