Anambra state government has organized a meeting with representatives of motorcyclists, traicyclists , bus, shuttle, tipper, taxi, pick-up drivers, and other commercial automobile operators in the state over tax payment issues, to dialogue and end the recent agitations by the groups.

The meeting held at Revenue House in Awka, attracted the representatives of the groups from across the state, and gave them the opportunity to air their views on the tax issue and other challenges confronting them in the state.

Addressing the groups, the state Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo reminded them that his administration is people-oriented and all its efforts are geared towards alleviating the plights of the people, assuring them that the government has zero tolerance for touting in the state, and warned touts that are still going about their illegal activities in the state to desist or face the full wrath of the government.

The Governor however called on the transporters to cooperate with his administration for their own good and development of the state.

Speaking at the meeting, the Chairman of Anambra Internal Revenue Service, Mr. Richard Mmaduebo told the people that the state government is not trying to make things hard for citizens and residents, but to end all illegal taxes and levies in the state, as well as raise money for the development of the state.

Some of the transporters who spoke during the meeting, including Messrs Ifeanyi Okafor, Nnamdi Ezeibe and Uchenna Umeh, assured their unalloyed support for the success of the Soludo administration, saying that they are eager to pay their taxes, but said the approved amounts are beyond their capability; as most of them are under hire-purchase contract, and are with families, appealing to the state government to consider their plights and reduce the amount.

Recall that Anambra State Government approved tax for motorcyclists is three hundred naira daily, approximately seven thousand five hundred naira monthly, or twenty-one thousand for a quarter, and tricyclicsts, six hundred naira daily, total of fifteen thousand naira monthly, or forty-two thousand naira quarterly.

While buses and shuttle drivers are to pay one thousand naira daily, at the rate of twenty-five thousand naira monthly, or seventy thousand naira for a quarter, the daily rate for taxi drivers is seven hundred, at the total of seventeen thousand naira for one month or forty-nine thousand naira quarterly.

One thousand two hundred naira daily is to be paid by township bus operators; at the total cost of thirty thousand naira for one month, eighty-four thousand for one quarter, and pick-up van drivers’ daily tax is one thousand naira at the cost of twenty-five thousand naira for one month, or seventy thousand naira for a quarter.