Traders Protest In Benue Over Governor Ortom’s Tax Policies (See Photos)

Traders and buyers in Benue state today staged a massive protest in Lessel town, the headquarters of Ushongo LGA against the multiple tax placed on food items in the state which has led to the blockage of the major state highway running through the town.
Investigations revealed that many farm produce, most of which are perishable, are subjected to multiple layers of taxation both on the farmers, the middlemen and the end buyers, a situation which has made business slow, with attendant losses being suffered by farmers who must sell at whatever price to avoid their produce perishing.
A bag of fresh pepper which is currently selling at the cost of N1000.00 attracts a multiple layer of levies from the Benue State Internal Revenue Service (BIRS) cumulatively amounting to over N700.00, leaving the trader with less than N300.00.
While Gov. Ortom has been declaring a monthly IGR receipt of N500 million only, Mrs. Orubibi on the other hand is said have consistently maintained that the agency under her leadership is gathering in over N1 billion monthly.
It is the contention by many in the state that the high and multiple taxes imposed by the Ortom administration on people and businesses in the state is not justifiable, particularly considering the poor performance of the administration which has failed to execute any project of significance in over a year.

See more photos from the protest below….