From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
The National Leadership of Heavy Duty and Haulage Transport Association of Nigeria has lamented the incessant harassment of its members by agents of Imo state Revenue service.
The National Chairman, Comrade Emmanuel Osigbemeh who stated this on Friday said its members have been under constant harassment and intimidation by officials of Imo state revenue services even on federal government roads leading to the state.
He pointed out that the union’s mandate is the monitoring of their members to ensure that they do not divert of goods and that union is not involved in any forms of revenue collections and wonder why the Imo State Internal Revenue Services agents have continued to harass its members over revenue issues even when they already have their hackney permits.
Osiegbemeh said, ” taxes and revenues are all in the exclusive list as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended and organizations including ours are working in synergy with the Presidency, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Federal Road Safety Corps, Inspector General of Police and the Military respectively to curb the menace of hoodlums.
Continuing, ” we are grateful to the police personnel that have continued to ensure that such infringements never occurred on the major high ways. We are not collecting any revenue but to monitor trucks to avoid diversions of the goods and services and we must work in synergy with the police and other law enforcement agencies. We are saying no to illegal revenue collections. We love Imo State governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma as a federal law-maker he is more or less aware of the tax laws and can not allow the actions of the revenue agents drag his name in the mud”. He said.
Adding, “Revenue taskforce whether from the council authorities or the state governments does not have the rights to harass truck drivers who are conveying goods across the country as revenues are collected at loading and off loading points and not on the high ways.
He further stated that publication by the Imo State revenue service that its members were evading payment of revenues was a blatant lie.
“The allegation of the Imo State revenues service is baseless .The revenue agents working under Ugolop Works and Services limited a company owned by Mr Vitalis Ugo (Etiokwe) which he sub contracted to Mr. Richmond Nwaopara lied.