Delivery Vehicle Owners Association of Nigeria (DELVAN) has called for the speedy implementation of the tax reform bill presently before the National Assembly (NASS).
Mr Sabbastine Raphael, National President, DELVAN, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar on Sunday.
Raphael said that when implemented, the new tax law would help ease the age-long suffering by transporters especially as it concerned carrying out their daily activities.
While noting it was the best policy of the federal government, the DELVAN boss said the tax reform would give room for the harmonisation of taxes and levies and also checkmate the illegal collection of taxes on the roads.
Raphael particularly noted that the reform would stop the illegality allegedly perpetuated in the nation’s highways by both state and non-state actors.
He attributed these illegalities to one of the reasons for the high cost of goods and services, especially food stuff, in the country today.
“For instance, there are close to 100 road blocks between Calabar and Ogoja where you are meant to pay all manners of taxes and levies.
“I can tell you for free that 70 per cent of the taxes and levies are illegal. They use anything humanly possible, including weapons to get you to pay.
“It is that bad that when you charge N100,000 for delivery between Calabar and Ogoja, you will be forced to call your people back home to send more money because of these payments.
“So, when implemented, the tax reform will be the best thing for all of us, especially the transporters,” he stated. (NAN)
