AMTO Condemns Multiple Taxation In Abia

The Association of Mass Transit Operators (AMTO) in Abia
State has expressed displeasure over the multiple taxes being imposed on them
by government agencies.

Mr Emmanuel Ogbonna, the Secretary of the association, told
our correspondent in Umuahia  that his members
were hapless over the issue.

He said that all these levies put together amounted to N1,
600 daily.

“Meanwhile, none payment of these levies attracts a fine of
between N5, 000 and N20, 000, depending on the type of the vehicle,” he said.

Ogbonna said that the activities of “touts“ deployed to
force AMTO members to pay these levies had become unbearable.

“We have witnessed situations where touts connived to harass
drivers even after showing them the tickets.

“What some of them do nowadays is to chew your tickets only
to raise the alarm that you have not paid the levies.

“Now, the evidence of payment is in their stomach, all in a
bid to get money out of us,” Ogbonna said.

Our correspondent
reports that mass transit operators in Abia pay levies on infrastructure,
entry and exit, road tax, neatness and haulage tax daily.

In addition, local government authorities charge such levies
as loading and off-loading, park toll, LGA haulage and Enyimba toll fees.

Mr Declan Uba, AMTO’s financial secretary, said that their
members did not see the justification for imposing such levies, particularly
when the roads were bad.

“This has posed challenges to traders in Aba because we now
find it difficult to bring goods to them.

“We appeal to the government to look into this issue and
come up with a more favourable tax regime and structure.

“Again, it is too much for one singe driver to spend N1, 600
in the name of daily tickets,” Uba said.