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From Judex Okoro, Calabar
Cross River State anti-tax agency has raised the alarm over the activities of illegal revenue agents, describing them as economic saboteurs.
Chairman of the agency, Emmah Isong, in a statement dated, March 18, in Calabar, said even when there is a law proscribing illegal taxation, tolls and levies on market women, petty traders and small scale businesses in the state, some of the illegal tax operators are still having their ways under the guise of generating revenue for the state government.
Isong said in spite of the good intentions of Governor Ben Ayade to make life more meaningful for the poor Cross Riverians, who are daily struggling to eke out a living, some unpatriotic revenue collectors have continued to exploit the poor market women, petty traders, taxi and keke drivers under the guise of generating revenues for the state.
According to him, the illegal tax operators have created all kinds of revenue points for themselves and their masters just to feather their business nests.
He said: “It is worrisome that even after the agency had had series of meetings with relevant agencies of government on the modus operandi of tax and levies’ collection, there appears to be infractions on the part of some agencies, thereby causing some untold hardship to small scale business owners, petty traders and taxi drivers alike.
“The agency frown at a reported case of a tragic incident which occurred on March 18 at the Municipal in which one Chuks, in a trending video, was dehumanised by an illicit tax operator in Calabar.
“We further frown at another reported case where one Mrs Chukwuma, a widow with four children living at No. 8 Miles, was allegedly manhandled and her goods impounded by hoodlums masquerading as tax collectors and given seven days to pay up or lose her goods.”
