By Victor Osehobo Ofure
Benin City, Nigeria – Frustrated by a recent significant tax increase for traders in most markets across Edo State capital, traders at the popular Oba market in Benin City yesterday took to the streets in protest.
The men and women own small businesses with an annual turnover of less
than N100,000 per annum in their thousands locked up their shops at
the busy market located near the palace of the Benin Monarch, Oba
Ewuare II during the protest.
Businesses and transport services around the Ring Road axis of the city center were disrupted, while armed Policemen drafted to the scene escorted the protesters to prevent the incident from escalating into violence and disrupting public peace.
Their grouse was the tax of N21, 000 for owning a shop and additional N200 for each table used to display wares for sale in the same shop. The monies are paid to the state and local governments through tax
collector using POS terminals.
For the women, many of whom claimed to be widows while others said their husbands are mostly local government workers and are being owed several months in arrears of salaries said the new tax is unacceptable.
Mrs Lateef Adeniyi, their spokesperson said: “They just introduced the
tax for the shops increasing it from N10,000 to N21, 000. How much are
we selling? People are not buying from us and they are adding these
new taxes, where do they want us to get the money?”
On Tuesday the government confirmed that the new tax hike was necessary so that it can continue with its development projects across the state including patching roads and renovating schools.
The traders later took their protest to the government office after the state assembly complex and the Nigerian Union of Journalists Secretariat in Benin City.
