Anambra traders protest tax hike

More than 500 women on stormed the Government House, Awka, to protest the hike in the tax payable by them to the Anambra State Government.

The women, who also rejected paying tax at all, asked government to collect tax from their husbands.

The traders, who protested under the name of Eke Awka Market Women Association, were led by Mrs. Ifeoma Ezenwa.

They first marched through major streets in Awka before getting to the Government House.

They carried placards with inscriptions like ‘Eke Awka Market women say no to tax’, ‘why should women pay tax’.

They were however disallowed from entering the Government House by security men. The irate women nearly mobbed one of te security men.

A spokeswoman for the group, Mrs. Praise Muoneke, said they were protesting against the imposition of tax insisting that market women had resolved not to pay the N6,600 tax. Muoneke said, “Yesterday, task force men invaded Eke Awka  Market, destroyed market wares and commodities, seized some goods and locked up many stalls as they demanded N6,600 as tax.

“We want this N6,600 tax cancelled now. We have paid N2,000 earlier for electricity to Eke Awka Market Authority last two years.”

 

The Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mr. Robert Okonkwo, said the tax would be paid by traders who owned shops in the market.

He said the total amount expected from each trader was N6000.