Alphonsus Nweze
The new President-General of Anambra State Amalgamated Traders Association (ASATA) has assured that traders in Anambra State will pay one billion naira to the coffers of Anambra State Government within one week starting from yesterday December 7, 2022.
Chief Humphrey Anuna, who replaced Chief Ikechukwu Ekwegbalu as the Anambra State Amalgamated Traders Association (ASATA) in a recent Anambra State Government’s appointment said the money would come from 2022 outstanding levies, taxes and dues the traders suppose to have paid during the year but has not paid till now.
Some of the levies include Traders’ tax, stallage levies and environmental levies among others.
Chief Anuna who made the promise at Onitsha on Wednesday during a meeting the market leaders had with Chief of Staff (COS) to the Governor, Mr.Ernest Ezeajugh, told his fellow market leaders that the payment would commence the following day in all the markets in the State.
He assured that the leaders and traders would follow the State Government’s instructions to the letter by collecting, paying and handing over the money intact, promising it would not be tampered with.
But he announced to the admiration of the market leaders that they would collect 10 percent of the money they collected.
Lauding the Governor and COS for having listening ears, Onwa as Chief Anuna is called said: “We promise to give maximum support to the Government to make Anambra State truly prosperous.”
Earlier in his address the COS enumerated Governor Soludo’s achievements in the last eight months in flagging off roads, refuse disposal among others but said they need money to carry out the projects.
He said the outstanding debts by the traders must be cleared within the remaining three weeks of this month of December.
He said that by next year, there must be enumeration for all the traders in the State to know their number and how much is expected from them each given time.
The Chief of Staff that said less than five percent of the traders had paid this year’s levies, hence the need for others to pay theirs before yuletide.
He said: “It is our Government.
We have open door policy. We are transparent. We want to work with you.”
He dismissed the speculations in the social media that markets in the State will be closed as from December 20, 2022 to January and December 9 -14, 2022 respectively, saying that it is the traders that usual determine when they will close markets in the State.
He also promised that the State Government will address the issue of touts entering into the markets as the traders have bitterly complained.
