By Phil Okose Onitsha
Commercial drivers in Anambra State Friday continued their protest against the State Government’s proposed new tax rate of N25, 000 per month for each driver.
Recall that the first to embark on the protest was the Main Market Electrical Drivers Welfare Association, MEDWAS, that embarked on the protest shortly after being told of the State Government proposed new tax rate by their chairman, Mr Michael Mbele.
Condemning the amount, he said, “as a driver too, I feel that the new tax rate of 25,000 is much and I also call on the state government to have a rethink on the implementation which could lead to more suffering on the part of the drivers.”
During Friday’s protest, the protesting drivers took to the streets of Ogidi, the Idemili North council headquartres, in their droves to demand clarification from Governor Chukuma Soludo who had suspended the payment of any form of taxes and levies until he recently announced the introduction of a digitalized payment system.
Contacted, the State President of Urban Drivers Welfare Association, UDWA, Prince Moses Ohanebo, said that the money was much to be paid in bulk.
“The protest is not that we will not pay but that we want the huge sum to be divided into days or weeks to enable us pay it. We can not afford to pay #25,000 every month. Let it be #1000 and some fraction in a day or #7,400 for a bus in a week.
“What it means is that in a year we pay government a whopping sum of #300000 for bus and about #270,000 for shuttle bus. Where do we get the money from.
“It is obvious that if this amount is paid to government that means the transport fare would be increased. The passengers will suffer it most,” he warned.
They recalled that when Soludo came into power he warned them to stop paying taxes or levies to anybody and also told them that a new tax rate of N4,000 every month would be introduced.
“We all agreed to a new digital payment but we were shocked when we wete told that henceforth we will now pay N25,000 a month.
“Most of us don’t own the vehicle, we operate on a hire purchase scheme. How then can we pay the owners, and fend for our families? Please we call on Gov Soludo’s attention to our plight, we want to know if this new directive is from him through a reliable channel of communication like the newspaper or radio. ”
Commending the Governor for his efforts so far in restoring sanity on the roads, another driver, Mr Chuks Nnadozie appealed for a reduction in the speculated tax rate due to the bad roads in the state.