Alleged Multiple Taxation: Lorry Drivers Threatens Withdrawal Of Services In Ebonyi

Nigeria Lorry Drivers Association (NILODA)has threatened to withdraw their services on roads in Ebonyi State over alleged persistent multiple taxation, exploitation and intimidation by gang of touts in the name of revenue generation for the state.

The Chairman of the Association, Ebonyi State chapter, Comrade Chukwuemeka Nwibo sound the warning while addressing newsmen in Abakaliki over the situation.

Comrade Nwibo alleged that many lorry drivers had sustained various degrees of injuries from touts operating in the the state when they inquire for reasons behind such exploitative tax regime.

According to Comrade Nwibo, lorry drivers are forced to pay five thousand naira toll before they are allowed into the International Market, in addition to a long list of revenue tickets that cost over twenty four thousand naira inside the same International market, a situation he said is not obtainable in other states.

The Lorry Drivers union leader lamented that most of the touts who claimed to be on revenue generation drive for the state, operate without official contact offices in the town and usually slam fines on drivers for not obtaining the ticket before twelve noon, without considering the states they were coming from.

He review that previous letters of complaints to the ministry of market Development,Ministry of Transport, Board of Internal Revenue and other relevant agencies had not yielded the desired result and appealed that the state government urgently address the problem or the Lorry drivers or they would withdraw their services.

Corroborating Comrade, Nwibo, another lorry driver, Comrade Friday Adagba and a national officer of the union, Comrade Peter Eze said that such harsh tax regime is already scaring away many of their colleagues from bringing goods to the state and called on government to adopt online daily revenue collection as is done in Enugu, Anambra Abia and other states to check the increasing intimidations by the touts

The drivers claimed that they normally pay four thousand naira in Enugu, three thousand naira in Anambra, two thousand naira in Cross River and three thousand naira in Abia states for lorries daily ticket and expressed disappointment with the situation in Ebonyi state and called for urgent solution.

Meanwhile,the union congratulated Governor Francis Nwifuru for his victory in the recent All Progressive Congress (APC)Governorship primaries to contest for his second term as the state Governor urged him not to allow any one or group to distract his focus on the ongoing provision of democratic dividend to the people of the state.