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 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.
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.
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 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.
