Low income earners including okada and taxi riders, food vendors popularly known as mama put, small barbing shop owners, farmers, hotels with less than 50 rooms and others have been exempted from paying tax in Cross River state.

Cross River State, Prof. Ben Ayade made the announcement in a public address.

The governor who struggled to hold his emotion said if God should take all he has to make the people of the State rich, he and his family can sacrifice it all.

The governor expressed dissatisfaction that despite instructions from his office that tax officials should not collect tax from petty traders, it is observed in the breach.

He said his dream for the state when he took over as governor has not been fully actualised, maintaining that it has not met his expectation.

He wondered why people who are struggling to make living for themselves without government’s assistance should be asked to pay tax even with the growing economic downturn, calling on the people to report harassment from tax authorities to the newly inaugurated Anti Tax Agency in the state.