By Eric Ugbor

EZIUKWU market women in Aba have rejected multiple taxation imposed on them by Abia State government which they said they cannot pay and still be able to cater for their families.

The traders had last week protested at the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, in Aba, accusing the state Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Mr Cosmos Ndukwe of allegedly masterminding the imposition of multiple taxation against the traders in the market.

Speaking to journalists, the traders appealed to Governor Okezie lkpeazu to use his humanitarian disposition to save the traders from the financial burden allegedly imposed on them by the commissioner.

One of the women, Mrs Beatrice James, a trader in Zone 26 of the market, said the market’s stewards have been making life difficult for them by imposing heavy bills on them  through the year.

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She said: “We pay for environmental sanitation (N2,500 , twice  a year); gutter fee (N2000); central security (N2,500); Bakassi security outfit (N2000); fire extinguisher (N2,500); proposed hall construction(N2000);  and tax (N3,600).

“They  collect multiple taxes from us. We pay for fire extinguisher without  getting the extinguishers. We pay a total of N5,500, yet our shops are broken into and our goods stolen after market hours.

“But this year, they said that we should be paying N18, 000 but we said it is too much and asked for a reduction to enable us pay but they  refused. So, we told them that we cannot pay such amount and we went to court.”

She noted that last week , they went to the market only to find that government agents have locked their shops because of the N18,000 which prompted them to speak.

Another trader, Mrs Chinenye Uchenna, said: “We pay for security in four places: central security (N2,500), zonal security (N2000), Bakassi (N1000), and Supporting Security (N500).

“For sanitation, they divided it into three: environmental fee (N1000), sanitation fee (N2000) and gutter fee (N500) and infrastructure levy (N2000).

“They came this year to demand that we pay N18,000 consolidated revenue, which we are  protesting.”

Efforts to reach the state’s Trade and Investment Commissioner, Mr Cosmos Ndukwe and the Board of Internal Revenue Chairman, Mr Celestine Agbara, failed as they did not pick their calls or replied to text messages sent them.

Vanguard