N25k monthly for bus operators – Soludo set new taxes on Anambra transporters

N25, 000 MONTHLY DIGITIZED RATE FOR SHUTTLE BUS OPERATORS IN ANAMBRA STATE

Recently the government of Anambra State under Governor Charles Soludo approved a new rate for transport sectors in the State. According to the new rate, Okada operators pay N300 daily at N7, 500 monthly, N21, 000 with a discount of N1,500 for one quarter or N40, 500 with a discount of N4, 500 for half a year. Keke riders pay N600 daily at the cost of N15,000 monthly, or N42,000 with a discount of N3, 000 for one quarter or N81, 000 with a discount of N9, 000 for half a year

Shuttle/Buses’ daily pay is N1,000 at the rate of N25, 000 monthly or N70,000 with a discount of N5, 000 for one quarter or N135, 000 with a discount of N15, 000 for half a year. The daily rate for Taxi riders is N700 or N17, 500 for one month. N49,000 quarterly with a discount of N3,500 while N94, 500 with a discount of N11, 000 is for half a year.

The rate of N1, 200 daily is for Township Bus operators at the cost of N30,000 for one month, N84,000 with a discount of N6,000 for one quarter and N162, and 000 with a discount of N18,000 for half a year. Pick up Van daily fee is N1, 000 at the cost of N25,000 for one month, N70,000 with a discount of N5,000 for one quarter and N135, and 000 with a discount of N15,000 for half a year.

The new rate was arrived at after a series of meetings and consultations with the union members at Awka. The aim is to bring lasting solutions to problems encountered by members of this sector from touts (agberos) and illegal revenue collectors in the State.

Before Governor Soludo’s intervention, the operators in this sector spent so much on touts and illegal tax collectors leaving the government with peanuts. The amount they paid on daily basis to ‘agberos’ and illegal tax collectors was double the sum to be paid digitally to the government from now. To put a final stop to this, the government made all government-owned parks free of any charge to all those that were complying with the government directive. Aside from making the parks free of charge, the government further reduced the cost they pay daily and put more money in the hands of the operators. The Government also agreed with the operators to give them 5% of the total collections to be paid to the unions to ensure that no other levies were to be borne by the operators.

The era of multiple levies, roadblocks and personal enrichment by several interest parties has ended. The Government does not wish to fold its hands and allow the ‘agberos’ and illegal revenue collectors to take over Anambra State. According to the Chairman/Chief Executive, Anambra State Internal Revenue Service, Mr Richard Nwora Madiebo ‘any levies and taxes to be collected by the government must be done digitally and an electronic receipt which could be verified issued. During the enforcement, it would be done using the electronic sticker’. The sticker, he explained will have a quick response which would be verified using Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD). He said that this way, these acknowledgements cannot be cloned.

No government will wish its citizens to be skinned alive, molested and intimidated by anybody. Everybody was aware of the menace of the touts before now in the State. I do not know if there is anyone who has not seen or had an encounter with the ‘agberos’. I had a nasty experience with them, some years back.

The government is committed to ensuring that ALL REVENUES ACCRUABLE to the State are paid into State Account DIGITALLY to enable it to work and deliver the dividends of good governance. The era of Windows and third parties with their multiple layers of collections wherein the government was receiving only a paltry portion of total collected revenue (with the rest collected by ‘Agberos’ and other illegal collectors) is gone and this Administration is determined to ensure a viable and prosperous State. Obey the directive, pay the right fee to the government in the approved way and then pick up the passengers without intimidation, harassment and extortion from anybody. God bless the Government of the day thus far. N25, 000 a month for shuttle bus operators is better than the daily extortion and headache from the ‘agberos’ and illegal revenue collectors.

The Chairman, Mr Madiebo urged Ndi Anambra ‘to partner with the State government to ensure we grow our revenue and pay to the government rather than to special interests. That is the way we should work to make our State grow. Ndi Anambra from all sectors, let us together build the Anambra State of our dream.

Sylvia Tochukwu-Ngige
Head, Taxpayer Education and Enlightenment Team