•Fayose seals banks, petrol station, over 100 shops
•Angry traders invade revenue office
Scores of Igbo shop owners on Secretariat Road, Ado Ekiti, the
Ekiti State capital, yesterday protested what they called
“outrageous taxes” imposed on them by the Ayo Fayose
administration.
Over 100 shops belonging to Igbo traders, Zenith and Diamond
banks and NNPC mega filling station were shut by officials of the
Board of Internal Revenue (BIR) in an operation that began at 9am.
The traders marched from their shops to the BIR headquarters
opposite Old Governor’s Office and sang songs such as “We no go
gree o, we no go gree”, among others.
Frightened BIR workers shut their doors on the protesters and
didn’t open them until the 4pm closing time.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Revenue Ropo Ogunjobi was
not at his desk when the protesters invaded the BIR headquarters.
The traders claimed that they entered into an agreement with BIR
for a tax rate of N5,500 but officials of the tax agency visited their
business offices yesterday morning claiming the agreed tax no
longer subsists.
Chairman of Secretariat Road Traders Association Uchenna
Madunagu claimed that BIR imposed taxes ranging between
N75,000 and N180,000 on the traders, which he said are too much
for their businesses.
Madunagu said the traders were forced out of their shops by stern-
looking armed policemen, civil defence officers and suspected
thugs clutching chains and padlocks.
The traders’ boss claimed that most of the traders still had cash,
passbooks, cheques and keys to their homes inside the shops.
Madunagu said: “The newly imposed taxes have no basis
anywhere because a tax is supposed to be based on your income
and you don’t do assessment of taxes in your room, you have to
come to our shops and see the business we run.
“You don’t have to send hoodlums and thugs to close our shops.
Imagine a shop that the goods inside is not up to N200,000 being
asked to pay N100,000.
“The most painful part is that we entered into an agreement with
the tax people and they gave us a bill of N5,500 and as the
chairman, I told my members because things are difficult in Ekiti
and Nigeria now.
“We came to their office based on the agreement of N5,500 only
for them to tell us that the one we agreed upon is no longer valid
that they are coming up with new taxes.
“They came with keys, chains and other things and used force to
intimidate us. Why should shop owners in Ajilosun be paying
N3,500 and those in Fajuyi be paying N5,500 and those of us on
Secretariat Road be paying between N75,000 and N180,000?
“We have been paying taxes every year, not that we don’t want to
pay but this latest tax regime is unbearable and their approach is
selective because we contribute much to commerce and economy
in Ekiti.
“Most of our belongings such as keys to our houses, cash, cheque
books, passbooks and other valuables have been locked inside by
the government agents.
“They should open our shops and listen to us, we are citizens of
this country and we should not be marginalised because we are
contributing between 80 and 90 per cent to the economy in Ekiti.”
Secretary of the association Chizom Unegbu urged Fayose to
reduce the taxes, saying there should be no selective application of taxes in the state.
Ogunjobi said the question of the traders paying N5,500 never
emanated from his office.
He said: “Those traders are lying. The N5,500 they are talking
about is not from this office because what we are talking about
now is the Personal Income Tax.
“We have assessed them, they should go and collect the
assessment notice and go to the bank and pay their taxes.”
Diamond bank was said to be owing operational tax which used to
be N10,000 in the past but has been jerked up to N120,000.
A source said the tax has been paid after which the bank was
reopened, meaning that its doors will be opened to customers
today.
The Nation.

Lmao.... Pests and rodents.

I know that many states are finding it hard in terms of revenue generation, but taxes should not charged arbitrarily. There should be an objective assessment.

Btw, I'm sure all traders are affected, not just Igbo traders...............for those that will want to cause disaffection between Fayose and the people that love him so much.

ukukaegbu:
I know that many states are finding it hard in terms of revenue generation, but taxes should not charged arbitrarily. There should be an objective assessment.

Btw, I'm sure all traders are affected, not just Igbo traders....for those that will want to cause disaffection between Fayose and the people that love him so much.

Exactly my thought. Fayose took this one too far. I like the man but on this very one he messed up big time!

trapQ:
Lmao.... Pests and rodents.

u are the worst fool on nairaland..people like u are the problem of nigeria

flog the idiots

Next stop, Edo state

Tomtoxic:
flog the idiots

Haba!

your people are the worst of humankind. it's not by force to follow you lots. go alone.

kelch19:
u are the worst fool on nairaland..people like u are the problem of nigeria