Umahi Suspends Income Tax , Levies On Markets Women
By Joyce Onuora, Abakaliki
Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr David Umahi has suspended the
collection of personal income tax and other illegal collection of revenue
from the markets women in the State .
The Governor Umahi disclosed this during a state wide meeting at Pa
Ngele Oruta Township Stadium, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.
The suspension came after complaint by the markets women, through by their leader Mrs Akoji Agnes who said that
women hawking vegetables and other items in the market were made to
pay a series of revenue by Internally Generated Revenue collectors in
the State
Umahi expressed sadness over the illegal collection of taxes by
several persons who hide under the aegis of government
body without authorization from the government.
He immediately banned the collection of income taxes and tenement rate till further notice in
the state.
In his words “That any market woman who hawks, sales vegetables,
fruits and sachet water and other items, that have no shops shall not
be harassed again for any tax, revenue by anybody while any defaulter
who fails to adhere to the above order shall be arrested and imprisoned for
such nefarious act and it will attract five-year jail term”.
The governor also approved the sum of N20 Million to women traders in the state capital
and N10 Million to women traders across all the 13 LGA’s.
He further doles out the sum of N150 million to women selling
vegetables and other perishable goods in the state to alleviate their
sufferings, while he charged all the women to avoid sending their
children to hawk during school hours as that attract the arrest of
the child and subsequently arrest of the parents.
