COVID-19: Community to Tax Traders To Pay Army

The attention of the Delta State Governor, Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa, Dr. Michael Tidi, Chairman, Warri South LGA. and Gen. Tukur Buratai, Chief of Army Staff has been drawn to a case of illegal taxation being visited on Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Ubeji community, within the jurisdiction of Warri South LGA, via a demand notice served by the Elders council of the said community and signed by a traditional Chief.

In the said notice, it is claimed that the community intends to use the proceeds of such illegal collections to take care of the men of the Nigeria Army deployed to the community.

But it is common knowledge that the Nigeria Army already has a humongous budget from the FG to cater for it’s men, coupled with the fact that it is neither the responsibility of small business owners, nor the responsibility of community Elders councils to cater for the men of the Nigerian Army.

It is also common knowledge that there are only 3 tiers of Government in Nigeria vested with powers to levy taxation, and community Elders are not one of them.

It’s therefore imperative for Gov. Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa, Executive Governor of Delta State to protect the interest of already taxed SME’s, especially in this difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic, and prove that Delta is a State of Law and Order by directing necessary actions to stop this illegality before it snowball into other communities.