By Mike Adeyemi
Traders at the popular Yoruba road market in Ilorin, Kwara State have threatened to evade tax payment over what they described as negligence by the state government.
The Iyaoja of Yoruba road, Alhaja Mulikat Ajide stated this while answering questions from our reporter in her office on Friday.
According to her, there is no Government presence in the market despite the payment of tax and levies by traders.
“Prior now, we have had cause to approach the Ministry of Works to help in upgrading the market to a modern standard. Also, there market lacks basic amenities.
“However our agitations and cries to the government, seems to fall on deaf ears. The market lacks good road networks, no toilets and many other facilities,” the Iyaloja lamented.
Continuing, “We pay annual tax of N1,500 each to Government coffers and traders at Yoruba road are over 300 in population. ‘
“We generate nearly half a million to the government from this market annually aside the local government levies and charges paid to Ilorin East Local Government.
“It is unfortunate that despite this huge IGR, we have not been compensated by the government that should plough back into the market with developmental projects as it is done in other climes.
“It is saddening those traders at Yoruba road market had not for once been captured in the soft loan programmes of the Kwara State Government.
“We have reached an agreement to henceforth resist revenue collectors from Ilorin East Local Government until they justify the payment of taxes paid by the traders,” she stressed.
Ajide added that traders at the market since the emergence of the novel coronavirus have adhered strictly to safety protocols as laid down by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
“The state government made available to traders at Yoruba road some protective items like hand sanitizer, nose marks though it was not sufficient.
“We had to augment as we made available running water basin to each trader with shops and we charged them to compel their customers to observe the protocols before they make transactions with them,” she further said.
She however decried the lull in post COVID-19 business activities.
