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Merit Ibe
Anambra government has reiterated its readiness to seal-off shopping malls in Onitsha that defies the government directive on the payment of taxes and levies.
Commissioner for Trade and Commerce, Uchenna Okafor, made the disclosure in a meeting with chairmen and leaders of shop owners from Onitsha at Government House, Awka.
The commissioner expressed displeasure with private business owners who default in taxes warning that they would not escape the law. General President of Amalgamated Traders Artisan Workers Association (ATAWA), Mr. Ekene Okoli, in his reaction, complained that payment of government fees and levies were technically left for ATAWA members alone.
Okoli regretted that non-members subdue, intimidate and compel only ATAWA members to pay all levies meant for the entire Onitsha North without contributing a kobo.
He, therefore, called on the state government to curb the excesses of these fraudulent revenue collectors, who enrich themselves under the guise of government agents, to cause mayhem in Onitsha. Okoli also pleaded with government to look into the multiple list of levies imposed on the group with a view to selecting genuine and approved ones.
General President, Onitsha South Shop Owners Traders Association (OSSOTAN), Mr. Eric Uwaoma, said he was relieved as the government enforcement agents sealed the shopping malls that easier resisted efforts to get them pay taxes and levies.
