Meat Scarcity As Butchers Protest New Tax Regime In Ekiti

Meat Scarcity As Butchers Protest New Tax Regime In Ekiti

Meat Scarcity As Butchers Protest New Tax Regime In Ekiti

Meat scarcity looms in Ekiti State as butchers
yesterday protested new tax regime imposed
by the state government.
Besides the state government yesterday
announced that demolition of the Erekesan
market known as Oja Oba will begin today to
pave way for an ultra modern one to be built
by government.
Many residents that went to market to
buy meat searched in vain, forcing them
to go for frozen chicken and turkey
which prices jumped up immediately.
The government had closed all the
abattoirs in the state following the
refusal of the butchers to pay N1, 000 on
each cow slaughtered.
Apart from the new tax of N1, 000 up
from N300 per cow, the butchers also
claimed that they are paying veterinary
tax, inspection rate and Internally
Generated Revenue (IGR) levy.
The angry butchers said the new tax
which, according to them, would see
each butcher paying at least N26, 000 in
a month could kill their businesses
Tension had mounted since Thursday
following a radio announcement by the
Commissioner for Agriculture, Kehinde
Odebunmi, that all abattoirs would be
shut down following the resistance of the
butchers to pay the new tax and any
butcher caught operating illegal abattoirs
is liable to a fine of N20, 000.
Led by the Chairman of Butchers
Association in Ado Ekiti Local
Government, Alhaji Mustapha Kareem,
the protesters who held leaves and
chanted war songs stormed the abattoir
as early as 6.30 am but they met a
detachment of armed policemen who
prevented them from occupying the
place.
The butchers who were denied access to
the Ado Ekiti Main Abattoir along
Iworoko Road vowed to force the place
open tomorrow and slaughter cows if
government fails to accede to their
demands.
Kareem disclosed that they had met with
Governor Ayo Fayose to reconsider the
new tax and suggested N500, which the
governor rejected. He added that
abattoirs in nearby states don’t pay as
high as N1, 000.
He revealed that similar taxes charged in
nearby states range between N150 and
N300 saying the butchers pleaded with
Fayose to consider their proposal of
N500 up from N300 hitherto paid.
Kareem said: “This new tax will kill our
business and it will affect the masses
because there will be no meat in the
market. Can you imagine that if we are
paying N1, 000 per cow, the least our
members will be paying each month is
N26, 000 and this is unacceptable.
“It is too much and it will affect what we
sell to the public, we suggested N500 to
the governor but he refused. Members of
the public will bear the brunt, people
will suffer and those that want to
celebrate occasions will be affected.
Addressing reporters on the
development, Commissioner for
Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives,
Mr Ayodele Michael, said the new tax
was aimed at providing better facilities
at all abattoirs in the state.
Ayodele said government held meetings
with the butchers before the new tax was
arrived at to generate more revenue and
make the abattoirs more conducive to
business.
Commissioner for Information, Youth
and Sports Development, Lanre
Ogunsuyi, said N1, 000 tax per cow is
not too much saying facilities at public
abattoirs had fallen into state of
disrepair.
Ogunsuyi said government would not
succumb to blackmail and intimidation
saying the new tax and other levies
recently imposed in the state were done
in public interest and not intended to
make life difficult for the citizens.