Drivers Allege Sabotage Of Unified Taxation System

Following the recent introduction of harmonised taxation system by the Rivers State Board of Internal Revenue, compelling commercial drivers to pay N300 daily, commercial drivers are lamenting the harassment and forceful collection of additional fees by road transport unions and other associations.
The Tide reports that the unified taxation system was intended to abrogate the multiple taxation regime, with a view to ensuring that drivers pay N300 daily to the covers of the state government to get ticket that would make them ply any route in the state.
The Tide investigation however, revealed that commercial drivers in various locations pay for as much as five tickets, amounting to about N3,000 in a day as against the N300 approved by the Board of Internal Revenue.
Speaking to The Tide, recently, Vitalus Onyema, a commercial driver, who plies Trans-Amadi route said, “We are paying double ticket, about five different tickets, amounting to N3,000 daily as against the governments approved N300 only. The National Union chairman in this area uses thugs to force us to buy their tickets, thereby sabotaging the efforts of government.”
In his view, another driver, John Ibim, lamented that “we are forced by the union people to buy tickets for 200 maintenance, Obio/Akpor, Phalga, community and National Union of Road Transport Workers, all amounting to N3,100 plus the government N300 scratch card daily. Most of us are driving on hire purchase and before you can afford to pay the principal owner of the vehicle N1.6 million, you have already paid N1.2 million to unions”
Boma Okujagu who plies Slaughter to Abuloma said, “the touts engaged by these groups will not want to know whether you have fuel or not, but the ticket money. There are some of the union members that have battons and log of wood in their hands, before you resist them, they have battered your vehicle or even break your head with it. Yesterday, they recruited some cult boys and they injured some of our drivers. We suggest the money should be kept at N1,500 to cover both government and these other groups”
In another development, Keke drivers plying Rumuokoro-Rumuagholu route in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area have also cried out that they were forced to buy three different tickets every day apart from the N200 paid to the state government.
However, a NURTW official who spoke to The Tide on condition of anonymity, said “we are not thwarting governments’ order because the union must survive as the government survives. The multiple taxation is only against the double collection of stickers and tickets from one local government area to the order, meaning that the N300 scratch card of government covers the drivers any where they go. There is no time government ban NURTW not to collect their union dues. So, they must pay their daily union dues as long as the union exists”