By Mike Adeyemi
Traders at the popular Yoruba road market in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, have accused the authority of the Ilorin East Local Government of imposing additional tax on them.
Speaking to Pilot Business in Ilorin, on Friday , the Vice Chairperson of the Iyaloja, Yoruba Road Market Association, Alhaja Taiye Akande, decried the alleged double taxation.
She explained that despite the fact that the traders in the market had fully paid their taxes to the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service(KWIRS), the LG authority is demanding payment for permit.
“They were here in the market, asking us to pay for trader’s permit, which we told them would not be possible because all necessary remittances had been made to the statutory and recognised tax authority in the state. “
According to her, the Executive Chairman of KWIRS has been intimated of the development.
“We presented our case before him and there were evidences that market traders in Yoruba road market have not defaulted in their fiscal duties to the state government, and we were told not to pay any other taxes in the form and trade permit to any authority as far as this year is concern,” she said .
” We pay N4,000 each as tax annually to KWIRS and we have not defaulted. What we pay into government coffers annually should be close to N1million given our population, she added.
Akande, however, appealed to the state government to provide the market with modern infrastructural facilities to justify the payment of taxes by the traders.
“Other markets in the state have benefitted from the state government’s infrastructural development effort, but for us at Yoruba road market, we are yet to feel the impact of the government. “
The market leader urged the state government to provide street light in the market to curb criminal activities by men of the underworld at night.
She assured that the traders will not default in their fiscal responsibilities towards the socio-economic development of the state.
The market leader also appealed to the present administration in the state to give traders financial support to cushion the effect of harsh economy on them.
“If government can meet our demands, it will encourage us to pay our taxes promptly,” she further assured.
