Maduako Igbokwe I Monday, August 14, 2023
AWKA, Nigeria – Anambra Shuttle Bus Drivers Forum (ASBDF) and Anambra Keke Riders Forum(AKDF) may soon withdraw services in Anambra to protest government heavy taxation.
The groups said that the state government configured its account app to five weeks a month instead of four weeks and that they are forced to pay for five weeks in a month. They stated that when their vehicles are in the mechanics, they still pay the government. They reached the decision on Monday after their weekly meeting in Awka State capital.
According to the groups, the Charles Soludo is heavily taxing them , in their suffering . One of the keke riders,Engr Chuks Chukwudindu who spoke with our reporter said that the reason for their planned sit at home was to draw the attention of the public to what they are suffering in the hands of the Anambra state government.
Engr Chuks Chukwudindu, who is a Petroleum Engineer and a graduate of Federal University of Technology Owerri, Imo said that Anambra state collects five weeks taxes in a month from them instead of four weeks.
He also said that they will soon embark on sit-at-home to protest multiple taxation by the state,which is stifling them and their families.
According to him, the government has changed the long maxim that says four weeks makes one month to five weeks make one month.
“If you pay for one month and immediately, it is four weeks your payment expires and you pay for extra days in the month. We were taught in school that four weeks make one month but in Soludo’s interpretation, four weeks do no longer make a month” he started.
According to him, they are supposed to pay N10000 every month and if one divides N10000 by four is N2500 per week. But government said that it has configured its app to capture five weeks in a month. We are forced to pay for the remaining days.
“We are considering to withdraw service based on harsh treatment the state government is forcing on us” he said. Engr Chuks Chukwudindu who was a former staff of Mobil oil said that Soludo promised them that after the payment of N10,000 monthly, we shall not pay any other Levy, but today he is asking us to pay another N4000 for emblem.
“I pay every 4th day of the month and as I was going to pay on 4th August ,they arrested me that I owe one week, that my payment expired last week after four weeks.
“That they configured government app to capture five weeks in one month . I told them that I have not heard when government pay workers more in a month because the weeks are more. Government should know we are in the same country where things are hard. We buy fuel, feed our families , maintain our vehicles” he added.
