Obinna Uchendu Abakaliki
Petty Traders at the Ebonyi State International market have expressed sadness over the high level of extortion, intimidation, harassment and confiscation of their produce and goods by touts and revenue taskforce team at the market.
The petty traders mostly aged women and widows lamented that they are forced to pay between N500 and N600 daily and failure to pay the said amount, will attract either confiscation or complete destruction of the farm produce the trader brought to the market for sell.
Some of the women expressed their dissatisfaction over the ugly incident to journalists following a viral video which has been circulating online which showed some persons who claimed to be Ebonyi Taskforce members or operatives forcing petty traders to pay taxes at the market.
In the video, a Taskforce member was captured collecting 600 Naira from a petty trader who is selling vegetables worth 1500 Naira.
When Journalists visited the market, some of the traders interviewed said that the incident has been going on at the International Market despite repeated directive by the State Governor that no petty trader must be asked to pay any taxes at the market.
Narrating her ordeal, A 65-year-old woman, Mrs Ngozi Michael said she sells cucumber but will always be forced to pay taxes to the taskforce team who usually come everyday with ticket.
“What you saw in the video is just the truth. We pay from 400 naira to 600 Naira each day by people that claim to be working for the State government.”
“We don’t know if the government is aware of this incident but the truth is that we are suffering. Help us to tell the Ebonyi State Government to come to our rescue. The taxes are becoming a heavy burden on us.
Another petty trader who sells Vegatables said that she got the from her farm which she planted at the back of her house and wondered why she will be forced to pay N600 for vegetable that is not worth more than N1500.
“The truth is that these Vegatables that I am selling, I didn’t buy them. I harvested them from the back of my house but because of the Economic hardship, I decided to sell part of it in order to feed my family.”
“If you bring these Vegatables together, they are not up to 1500 Naira but I was forced to pay 400 naira to the State Government. This is really bad and the Governor should be made to be aware of this ugly incident”.
Some of the women who spoke on grounds of anonymity said that the extortion and intimidation will not stop as the team will always claim that a highly placed political office holder contracted them to be collecting the money from the traders.
When contacted, the Special Assistant to the State Governor on New Media, Mr. Leo Oketa said “Yes, I have seen the video which you sent to me on WhatsApp, I will respond soon”.
It would be recalled that Governor Francis Nwifuru in March 2024 cautioned revenue collectors against collecting taxes from vegetable sellers and other petty traders.
This warning was contained in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Dr. Monday Uzor, in Abakaliki.
The Governor had during the swearing-in of members of the Revenue Appeal Commission held at centenary city, New Government House, Abakiliki dropped the warning.
The statement reads: “I want you to go for big big business owners. I have told the Revenue Service, I don’t want you to go to the village markets and be collecting tax from vegetable sellers, I have said it times without number. I don’t see reasons why you should be taxing people who are selling what they got from their farms. Governor Nwifuru said.
