Judex Okoro, Calabar
The Cross River Anti-Tax Agency has raised the alarm over continued illegal collections of taxes, dues, levies,tolls, and revenues from Keke-Napep, taxi drivers, hawkers, and market women, vowing to prosecute defaulters.
Governor Ben Ayade had inaugurated the agency on Wednesady, May 20, 2020 with a mandate to rid the streets of all forms of illegal taxes, levies and tolls from the poor, market women and farmers.
Isong, who doubles as the National Pubilicty Secreatry of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, said it is unacceptable and the highest display of inhumanity to extort money in different guise in the name of generating revenue for the state from hawkers, taxi and keke-napep drivers.
“The statement read in part: “It has come to the notice of the Anti-Tax Agency that in spite of His Excellency, Prof Ben Ayade’s directives to end illegal taxation in Cross River State, some proscribed agencies, unions, local government revenue staff, individuals and tax consultants have taken it upon themselves to continually extort from innocent citizens.
“This is not acceptable even after the Governor had issued several warnings to the perpetrators to desist from such inhuman act of extorting their hard-earned money. Besides, such act is against the Cross River State Tax Exemption Laws.
“The Agency, however, frowns at such flagrant abuse of laws and directive, warning that those still engaged in illegal collections of taxes, dues, levies,tolls and revenues from keke-napep, taxi drivers, hawkers, market women, shop owners and small scale businesses shall be prosecuted according to state anti-tax law.”