NAN-H-40
Taxes
By Mercy Osajiugo
Minna. Jan. 17, 2017 (NAN) The commercial motorcyclists associations in Niger State on Tuesday threatened to embark on peaceful protests if the state government fails to reverse the astronomical tax it imposes on its members.
The associations are the Amalgamated Commercial Motor Cycle Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria and the Tricycle Owners Association of Nigeria.
Alhaji Musa Isiaku, General Chairman of the associations, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna, said that the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) was imposing indiscriminate taxes and charges on their members under the guise of generating revenue for the state.
“The VIO is asking us to pay N8, 550 for driving permit and N4, 000 on colour code permit for tricycles.
“This money is outrageous, we don’t have it and we will not pay it because we don’t have it. States like Kano, Kaduna are only paying N1, 500 for driving permits,” he said.
Isiaku said that all the tricycles in the state were mandated to pay N4, 000 for a certificate for colour code, even when a tricycle was painted in yellow colour.
He said that the association was not carried along as they were also stakeholders and partners in progress.
Isiaku, therefore, threatened that a peaceful protest by the association and all its members was imminent in Minna, as they could not continue to be humiliated by VIO officials with “unbearable demands.
“We are responsible associations, we don’t want to go into crime, neither do we want to go into militancy or engage the government in confrontation,” he said.
“Over a year now, we have been in several meetings with the state government but they are not budging, we are very sad. We are not in a position to pay this money into the VIO’s account,” Isiaku added. (NAN)
MNO/ORO/PIO
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(Edited by Razak Owolabi/Idonije Obakhedo)