Cross River Abolishes Produce Tax

The Governor of the State, Ben Ayade disclosed this in a video that has gone viral, where he inaugurated an anti-tax agency, recently.

He also reeled out the categories of entrepreneurs who have also been exempted.

According to him, the Agro vendors are in most cases, just trying to make a living and therefore, should not be subjected to taxation by the authorities.

“We have exempted small catering and restaurant points, eatery points. All those small survival people selling produce to eke a living have been exempted today from paying tax.

“We have exempted then because it is better for me as a governor that I rather task my brain than to tax my people.

“Great Cross-Riverians, for anybody who comes before you to demand tax, you have the right to say ‘stop, the governor has said we should not pay tax’.”

The Governor stated that it was unnecessary to tax farmers, describing them as “survival” business owners.

The farmers, he said, have undertaken the responsibility of providing the needed inputs for themselves and as such, should not pay any extra fee in their quest to sell their produce.

“Why will a small person carry banana from his farm to go and sell and people are there taxing him for produce?”

He continued, “I have abolished produce tax. Let farmers earn their money, let them keep their money because you didn’t give them fertilisers; you did not irrigate the soil, you did not prepare the soil for them.”

source agronigeria