Anambra revenue agents: market women clash over tax

Determined to enforce the payment of an annual N30,800 per market woman at Nkpor Main Market in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, the state government revenue agents have allegedly locked up over 80 shops belonging to members of Nkpor Women Petty Traders Association and forcefully kicked them out of the market.

The locking up of the shops, according to eyewitnesses, started at the weekend when a combined team of policemen and members of task force from Anambra Markets Amalgamated Traders Association, AMATAS, stormed the market with machetes and sticks and started shoving women out of their shops and locking up the shops.

The task force men were still stationed inside the market, yesterday, to ensure that none of the women opened their shops for business until they paid the N30,800.

One of the women leaders, Mrs. Ngozi Okoye, appealed to the state government to come to their aid as, according to them, women do not pay tax anywhere in Nigeria.

However, Chief Asha Nnabuife, who identified himself as a consultant to the state government on Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, told newsmen at Nkpor that the N30,800 being demanded from the women was an accumula-ted arrears of N12,200 per annum, which was introduced in 2012. 

Anambrarian News reports