From Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
The traders in Anambra State have commended governor Chukwuma Soludo for the slashing of revenue rate for container trucks, lorries, shuttle trucks in the state.
The state government has also exempted barrow trucks, barrow pushers and Keke loads from payment of revenue in the state.
The government revenue contractor Chief Chimezie Nwankwo who announced the reduction of revenue rate while addressing the Anambra State Market Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATA) during an enlarged meeting at Traders’ House Onitsha said that trailer/truck containers that billed to pay N30, 000 now pays the sum of N25, 000, small trucks with ten tyres will now pay N20, 000 against N25, 000 while shuttle truck pays N3000 against N5000.
He directed that no revenue should be collected from barrow pushers, barrow trucks and Keke carrying goods, saying that the idea was to encourage petty business and encourage the traders to reciprocate government gesture by paying to the designated purse.
Nwankwo said that there would be Taskforce team to enforce the payment of revenue in the state, saying that the enforcers would be properly identified with ID cards to avoid fraudsters.
The President General of ASMATA Chief Ikechukwu Ekwegbalu who commended the state governor for the slash in the revenue said that it showed that Soludo’s government has a human face and has the interest of traders at heart.
He urged the traders to comply with the directive of the government to pay at the POS government agents direct to state account and should not for any reason pay into private account or pay cash to anybody.
“I urge the people of the state especially the traders to support the governor Soludo in his transformational and infrastructural development agenda. He mean well for the state base on his policies and programmes. He is tackling the issue of insecurity, awarding several roads and refusal disposal.
“Traders should pay their revenue to the designated places and on time to enable the government to move with full force to actualize its dream and complete numerous projects it has started across the state. We shall not allow any tout in the market collecting any ticket and anybody seen would be arrested and prosecuted according to the law of the state” Ekwegbalu.
The meeting of the government agents with ASMATA executives, chairmen and secretaries of markets unions and association across the state ended in joy as both parties were happy over the revenue slash.