Business owners, transporters groan over multiple taxation in A’Ibom

Business owners, including transport operators in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, have lamented over alleged multiple taxation in the state, arguing that persistent taxation on them by agents of government had crippled their businesses in the state.

Frequent levies by various agents, according to them, had affected their revenues and threatened to drive them out of business with the initial capital grossly dwindling.

Some  business owners who spoke to Nigerian Tribune revealed that different revenue collectors from the state Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency (AKSEPWMA), Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources, local government areas and other agents go about collecting money ranging  from sanitation levy, sign post levy,  development rate, shop rate and public health levy.

“This is after payment of a certain sum to the Akwa Ibom Inland Revenue Service (AKIRS) for registration of business premises,” Mrs. Emmah Akpanobong, a building materials dealer at Itam market explained.

“Some also compelled us to pay levies in smaller amounts without issuing any official receipt to us,” Uche Nwajiuba, a dealer in second hand clothes at the Ibom plaza area of Uyo, added.

The Chief Executive Officer of Aniferaz, Jeremiah Aniekan Ukpe, described continuous  multiple taxation as a bane to business growth in the state, especially the upcoming businesses.

He queried the authenticity of some persons who go about collecting the revenue as he noted that some of them would demand for negotiations or payment of items not within their jurisdiction such as signage pasted on a building, as he called for training and retraining of the genuine officials.

Ukpe, who called for proper documentation of taxes payable, noted that there should be a unified way of payment of tax yearly to avoid the challenge of paying different taxes to different groups in succession.

“Taxation in the state is back to back, FIRS will come, environment officers will come, PHEDC will come, AKSEPWMA will come and local government officials will come.

“The stress of paying for everything is just too much. Even a signage on the building they will ask you to pay taxation. In my case I said no, you pay when it is on government open land. Sometimes if you argue with those officials they will know that you know their tricks, the next thing they will say is, ‘let’s negotiate.’

“They will come to my space and ask me to  pay for cleaning, sanitation, without giving me a refuse bin, from different ministries and when you check in the receipt you find out it is different companies, not the Ministry of Environment. Sometimes I ask if it is Ministry of Environment and why this company’s name is written on the receipt, they always insist that they are from the government.

“Those from the PHEDC are not left out. The estimated bill is quite outrageous. I’m not afraid of taxations, but let me pay to the right people and to the right source. Payment should be documented in the system and notification of payment sent to the client either through e-mail or SMS.

“Government should do something about people who move into people’s business premises to extort them. If you are a real agent, please, be legal and civil,” he said.

Also, President of Keke Owners/Riders Association, (KORA) in Akwa Ibom, Comrade Jeremiah Jackson, during an empowerment programme he organised for members where 30 tricycles were distributed, decried the level of multiple taxation on members against the state government prescribe unified tax payment system.

While lamenting the ordeal of members, Jackson said: “NURTW impounds our members’ tricycles, particularly those who come from Ikot Ekpene, asking them to buy emblems and tickets against the state approved unified ticket. The operation of an unknown task force impounding our members tricycles at Ikot Ekpene motor park is illegal and not known to the state government.”

Similarly, mini bus drivers pay heavily to different unions and the state government.

Nigerian Tribune investigation revealed that mini bus operators pay as much as N500 per day against the usual N200 approved by the Ministry of Transport in Akwa Ibom on all routes.

A mini bus operator, who spoke under anonymity, confirmed that he paid a total of N500 in a day.

He said: “the Ministry of Transport charges N200 while the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) collects N300 daily from mini bus drivers”.

According to the source, this multiple toll collection is not appropriate as it affects business. “Initially, we used to pay N100 before it was increased to N200 by the MOT. We want the state government to intervene as there would not be need to pay double levies to NURTW after the transportation ministry had taken its own.

However, the chairman, AKSEPWMA, Prince Ikim, in his reaction said most people collecting the levies are not the officials of government.

He admitted that he had received such complaints, saying that the agency had started clamping down on such perpetrators even as he urged business operators not to negotiate with such persons but to make every payment to the government’s account after getting a demand notice.

According to him, “Most of the revenue collectors out there are fakes. In 2022, we have not engaged any revenue agent. The only one we are going to engage is the sanitation emblem and we are still working on it.

“Throughout 2021, we did not engage any revenue consultant. Most of the people that are doing this are not coming from us. Don’t negotiate with anybody because you will be encouraging them, the best thing to do is to pay into the government’s account. We are clamping down on the perpetrators.”