ILLEGAL TAXES ON FARM PRODUCE ARE KILLING YOU — ALLI BLAMES MAKINDE FOR HIGH COST OF LIVING IN OYO
GREATRIBUNETVNEWS –YOUR Garri Is Costly Because Farmers Are Taxed At Every Roadblock Before They Reach Ibadan
Wonder why food is so expensive in Oyo State?
Wonder why a basket of tomatoes that left the farm cheap arrives in Ibadan with a price that breaks your pocket?
Senator Sharafadeen Alli says he has found the answer — and it is not the farmer. It is the roadblock.
From Oyo North to Ibadan, from Ibadan to every corner of the state, struggling farmers are stopped, harassed and forced to pay illegal levies by men parading as revenue agents.
Every illegal levy on that yam, that pepper, that bag of rice, is added to the price you pay in the market. By the time the food reaches your table, you are paying not just for the food — you are paying for the extortion.
That is why the cost of living is choking Oyo. That is why the farmer is poor and the buyer is broke.
And Alli says Governor Seyi Makinde is watching and doing nothing.
THE DEMAND:
“SENATOR SHARAFADEEN ALLI CALLS ON GOVERNOR SEYI MAKINDE TO PASS THE HARMONISED TAX LAW IN OYO STATE.”
THE INDIFFERENCE:
“Senator Sharafedeen Alli, the Oyo State Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has noted with concern the continued indifference by Governor Seyi Makinde towards the passage of the Tax Harmonisation Law.”
THE TRIGGER — ILLEGAL LEVIES EVERYWHERE:
“The concern stems from the troubling surge in reported cases of illegal levies imposed on farm produce and other goods transported across the Oyo State by non-state actors parading themselves as revenue agents allegedly working for the Makinde-led administration in Oyo State.”
FARMERS HARASSED, MOLESTED, EXTORTED:
“These non-state actors have repeatedly harassed, molested and extorted money under spurious subheads from struggling and hardworking farmers who move their farm produce from Oyo North to Ibadan. Business owners who transport goods from Ibadan to sell in other parts of the state have also reported being levied at different road blocks erected by these non-state actors.”
THE REASON YOUR FOOD IS EXPENSIVE — HIGH COST OF LIVING:
“Multiple taxes on the movement of farm produce and commodities within the Oyo State road transport corridor adds to the high cost of basic goods, and in some cases, depletes the profit margin of these farmers and small-scale business owners.”
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Kill the illegal taxes on the road, and you kill the high cost of food. Pass the Harmonised Tax Law now — or Oyo will keep paying for extortion at every meal.
The people of Oyo State deserve freedom from multiple taxation and the crude means of collecting road taxes as currently being administered by the Makinde-led administration.
Freedom from multiple taxation would come with the domestication of the Tax Harmonisation Law. The Law is designed to harmonise taxes across the states and local government areas, eliminate arbitrary and unauthorised collections, and put an end to the activities of illegal tax collectors and hoodlums who harass unsuspecting motorists on our roads under the guise of revenue collection.
It is deeply regrettable that Oyo State, under the leadership of Governor Seyi Makinde, has failed to demonstrate serious commitment to the domestication of the Tax Harmonisation Law despite the overwhelmingly urgent need to protect citizens, businesses, traders and farmers from the menace of multiple taxation and illegal revenue collection. It bears reiterating that the continued failure to enact this important legislation has allowed the multiplicity of taxes to persist, leaving businesses and ordinary citizens at the mercy of unauthorised collectors.
It is worthy to note that many forward-looking states have already passed the law, while others are making serious efforts to conclude the law enactment process. Oyo State government under Governor Makinde remains indifferent!
Senator Sharafedeen Alli hereby assures the people of Oyo State that upon assumption of office, when elected Governor, the Tax Harmonisation Law will be passed within his first 100 days in office. The people of Oyo State deserve a tax system that protects farmers, transporters, business owners and consumers, a tax system that encourages businesses rather than burdens them, and a tax system that promotes economic growth and prosperity. Pastor
Bisi Oladele,
Director of Media & Publicity
Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO) said in a statement
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