Some plank sellers in Ikire, Irewola local government area of Osun State Thursday, staged a protest against multiple taxation and alleged extortion by agents of the state government.
The women who wore their clothes upside-down and tied red scarfs on their headgear, lamented that their businesses have suffered serious setback as a result of what they called ‘fraudulent activities’ of the government agents.
One of the protesters who spoke on behalf of others, Modele Bose said the taxes imposed on the plank sellers were too much for them to bear and that the government agents were making life difficult for them.
She said the plank sellers could no longer make money to cater for their needs, particularly to pay the school fees of the wards who have been sent away from their schools for not paying school fees.
The plank sellers also alleged that money received by agents were not being remitted to the state government.
They appealed to the state governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola to intervene and reverse the taxes imposed on them.
Modele said “The taxes are too much. We can no longer bear it. From N2,000 that we were paying before, they are now collecting over N20,000 from us. This is not fair. We want the Governor to know about this and reverse it.”
Reacting to the allegations, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Natural Resources, Comrade Tunde Ajilore said the women were telling lies.
Ajilore explained that there was no fixed taxes for that and that they were charged based on the number of trees they cut in the forest.
He also accused the plank sellers of perpetrating illegality by cutting trees in the forest without following due process.
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