Eziukwu market women in Aba have rejected multiple taxation imposed on them by Abia government.

The traders, who criticized the taxation in separate interviews with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the market premises on Monday said that paying it would affect their financial obligations to their families.

The women criticized breaking the taxation into related sub heads and kicked against the N18,000 tax imposed on owners of stalls in Eziukwu market.

However, the Abia Trade and Investment Commissioner, Dr Cosmos Ndukwe, described the protest as propaganda being used by the opposition to tackle the government of Abia.

Mrs Beatrice James, a trader in Zone 26 of the market, said that the market’s stewards were making life difficult for them with heavy bills through the year.

“We pay for environmental N2,500; sanitation N 2,500 twice in a year; gutter fee N2000; central security N2,500; Bakkassi security outfit N2000; fire extinguisher N2,500; proposed hall construction N2,000; 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 for security 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 was too much and asked for a reduction to enable us to pay and they refused.

“So, we told them that we cannot pay such sum and we went to Court with them.

“Now, what they are doing is to go and pick any of us who they find in court after court sessions,” she said.

She noted that last week Monday the traders went to the market only to find that government agents had locked their shops because of the N18,000.

Mrs Chinenye Uchenna said, “we pay for security in four places: central security (N2,500), zonal security (N2000), Bakkassi (N1000), and supporting security (N500).

“In sanitation they divided it into three – we pay environmental fee (N1000), sanitation fee (N2000) and gutter fee (N500) – and also infrastructure levy (N2000).

“They came this year to demand we pay N18,000 consolidated revenue which we are asking: how are we going to get all this money to pay and for what items?’’

She said that most of the shops did not have goods that could generate enough to pay such amount hence the traders’ refusal to make the payment resulting in government’s antagonism to their ongoing court processes.

Mr Emmanuel Nwadinigwe, a trader, said that the amount was too much for him because he was trading in only used cement bags and paid rent of N15,000 annually.

He said his children could no longer go to school because of hardship stressing that he could not pay such amount of money and still feed his family.

Mr Kingsley John, Chairman, Eziukwu road market, Aba, denied imposing additional levies on traders in the market besides the N18,000 government approved as consolidated revenue for all markets.

He said that market leaders only demanded personal income tax of N3,600, sanitation levy of N3,000, infrastructure levy of N2,000, and another N2,000 fee for business premises.

John added that the charge for market development levy was N2,000, advertisement and signage fee (ABSA) was N2,000 and fire service levy was N2,400.

Dr Cosmos Ndukwe, the commissioner, while reacting to the protest said the fees were not new and started in 2015 following consultations with traders.

He said that the consultation gave birth to a law made by the Abia House of Assembly adding that women dealing in perishables were supposed to pay only N3,000 annually.

According to him, the fees are graded while only shop owners are to pay N18,000 per year. (NAN)