Abia State government has said that it is committed to checkmating the activities of multiple revenue collectors on Abia roads and harassment of passenger by illegal revenue agents in the State.
This is even as some transporters operating in Umuahia, the State capital have urged the State to match its promise with actions.
The State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu who made known his administration’s stance on the issue in Umuahia during a one-day stakeholders’ summit organised by the Abia State Ministry of transport, stressed that multiple collection of revenues was capable of affecting the esse of doing business in the State.
Ikpeazu, who was represented at the summit by his Deputy, Sir Ude Oko Chukwu, promised that new and existing investors would always be protected his government and commended the Abia State Ministry of transport for organising the summit.
Ikpeazu described Abia State as being among the best ranked States in ease of doing business, warning that such good ratings would not be allowed to be destroyed by activities of charlatans operating as revenue agents.
He therefore, charged the ministry and all concerned bodies to demonstrate their commitment to the State government’s new revenue policies, pledging his administration’s assistance for its implementation.
The Commissioner for transport, Chief Uche Nwanoruo in his address, described transportation section as the engine room of every nation’s economy, regretting that lives had been lost in some occasions in the State during clashes arising from illegal revenue agents.
Nwanoruo further lamented that some collectors revenues by such individuals were never remitted to the State government’s purse.
Meanwhile, many commercial bus and tricycle (Keke Napep) operators in Umuahia who reacted to the State government’s position, urged the Ikpeazu-led administration to implement the policy to save them from alleged multiple taxations and attendant harassment.
Two of the operators, Uduma Agbai (bus driver) and Sammy Uchendu (Keke Napep driver) identified multiple taxations as their biggest challenges in doing business.
