APC candidate alleges harassment of farmers, traders; promises tax law within 100 days if elected
The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, has challenged Governor Seyi Makinde to end alleged illegal tax collections across the state, insisting that farmers, traders and transporters should not be subjected to multiple levies on the highways.
Alli accused the Makinde administration of failing to demonstrate the political will to domesticate the Tax Harmonisation Law, which he said would check arbitrary revenue collection and protect residents from the activities of unauthorised tax collectors.
The APC candidate raised the concern in a statement issued on Sunday by the Director of Media and Publicity of his campaign organisation, Bisi Oladele.
He alleged that individuals posing as revenue agents had been mounting roadblocks and extorting money from farmers and traders transporting goods within the state.
According to him, farmers moving produce from Oyo North to Ibadan and business owners conveying goods from the state capital to other parts of the state have been subjected to multiple collections under different pretexts.
Alli said the practice was not only hurting farmers and small-scale business owners but also adding to the cost of transporting goods and, ultimately, the prices paid by consumers.
He argued that the burden of multiple taxation was particularly troubling at a time when residents and businesses were battling rising operating costs.
“The people of Oyo State deserve freedom from multiple taxation and the crude means of collecting road taxes,” he said.
The senator maintained that the Tax Harmonisation Law would provide a framework for streamlining taxes across the state and local government areas, eliminate unauthorised collections and curb the activities of individuals exploiting motorists and traders in the name of revenue generation.
He expressed disappointment that Oyo had yet to complete the domestication process, claiming that several other states had already passed the legislation while others were working towards its enactment.
Alli said the continued delay had left farmers, transporters and business owners exposed to arbitrary levies and harassment.
He called on Makinde to give the proposed legislation the attention it deserved, saying the state needed a tax system that would support economic activities rather than undermine them.
The APC governorship candidate, however, promised that the law would be passed within his first 100 days in office if elected governor.
He said his administration would prioritise a tax regime that protects businesses, encourages investment and promotes economic growth, rather than imposing unnecessary burdens on residents.
