Business activities were disrupted in Obollo-Afor, Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State, on Wednesday as traders shut their shops and markets to protest an alleged selective collection of a ₦25,000 haulage levy on trucks loading and offloading goods in the area.
The traders, who took to the streets carrying placards, accused the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service (ESIRS) of singling out Obollo-Afor for the levy, alleging that similar charges were not being collected in other major markets across the state.
Chairman of the Obollo-Afor Market Traders Association, Mr. Charles Eze, said the levy had allegedly caused truck operators to divert food items, building materials and other commodities to neighbouring markets, leaving traders in Obollo-Afor struggling.
According to him, truck owners had been redirecting goods to Orba, Enugu-Ezike, Nsukka and Orie-Igboeze, where they allegedly do not face the same haulage charge.
Eze said the traders had no objection to the state government’s e-ticketing system and were willing to pay legitimate levies, but insisted that Obollo-Afor should not be subjected to what they described as discriminatory taxation.
He claimed the situation had persisted for more than two months and had significantly affected business activities in the market.
“We are not saying that we won’t pay levies, but let it be fees that are equally obtained in other places,” Eze said, appealing to Governor Peter Mbah to intervene.
Other market leaders, including Chief James Odo of the Foodstuff Dealers Association and Chief Damian Nwodo of the Electrical and Electronics Dealers Association, also expressed concern over the alleged impact of the levy on their businesses.
However, Chairman of ESIRS, Mr. Emmanuel Nnamani, in a letter to the traders, clarified that the haulage levy was not imposed on traders buying or selling in the markets, but applied specifically to truck drivers operating on interstate routes.
Responding to the protesters at the Udenu Local Government Secretariat, the Secretary to the Council, Mr. Chika Aroh, said the local government had scheduled a meeting with ESIRS representatives to establish whether the levy was being collected exclusively in Obollo-Afor.
Aroh said the council would engage the revenue service on the matter and indicated that collection would be suspended pending the outcome of the meeting.
The traders are expected to receive further clarification following the scheduled engagement between the local government and ESIRS.
