Hoteliers groan over multiple taxation in Oyo

Hotel owners in Oyo state have lamented over alleged multiple taxation in the state, stressing that persistent taxation on them by agents of government may force some of their colleagues out of the game.

Some of them, who pleaded anonymity said the frequent levies had affected their revenues and threatened to drive them out of business.

The consultants, according to one of them, duplicated many items, bringing the total of the taxes they pay to the government to 18 different ones.

Speaking further, the source said the continuous multiple taxation is affecting their businesses, adding that they can’t even employ more hands because of the bills they need to pay.

“Is it not too bad for the consultants to come up with 18 different taxes? The names they tag them are so ridiculous that you will have a headache immediately you see this. This is even though the government provides almost nothing in return for all these monies collected. We do almost everything ourselves.

“Another funny thing is that these people who they hired as consultants are not residents here. Their businesses are not located here. If they are residents and have businesses here, they will feel our pains. They should pity us. We buy everything with pain. You know all the prices of diesel now. We can’t increase our charges. We can’t reduce the salary of staff.

“We are helping government more than they are helping us. The jobs government claims they are generating are majorly through business owners”, the source lamented.

They said that there was a need for the Seyi Makinde-led government to assist in ironing out the challenge as well as the high rate charged by its agents.

“We urge our amiable governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde to help us look into this. Why we are not saying we don’t want to pay tax, the government should not add to our burden. They should talk to these consultants to stop duplications of taxes”, the hoteliers urged.