By Ushang Ewa
The Cross River State Government may be planning another hike in levies and taxes paid daily by commercial vehicles in the state, especially Calabar, the state’s capital findings by CrossRiverWatch reveal.
The new levies may come into effect by Monday sources say but the drivers’ union are scheduled to meet today (Saturday) for a meeting with no agenda known to the drivers as at press time.
“The ticket boys have been giving us circulars since Friday morning and they are saying it looks as if government wants to add money to our daily tickets,” said John Okon, a taxi driver in Calabar municipal.
“It is not time for elections so it is definitely ticketing. They will just sit there and increase the money and build houses and buy big cars while we are suffering. Government does not even see this money,” added Silas Ani (not actual name).
The commercial vehicles currently pay NGN500 as taxes and levies per day.
NGN200 goes to the state’s internal revenue service which collects on behalf of the Ministry of Transport, Department of Public Transportation and the Commercial Transport Regulatory Agency popularly referred to as ‘Hundred Marian’.
The Calabar Municipal and Calabar South local government areas share NGN200 in the state capital while local governments across the state charge between NGN50 and NGN100 for motorcycles and vehicles.
Also, NGN50 goes to the Cross River State Carbon Emissions and Reduction Board and the Driver’s welfare union takes the remaining NGN50, totaling NGN500.
An increase in taxes or levies is contrary to the Governor; Senator Ben Ayade’s taxation policy which seeks to exclude low income and no income earners as well as those who earn less than NGN50,000 per month from paying taxes.
However, the policy which has since become law has not been implemented.
More details later…
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