AWKA – The Anambra government said on Tuesday it might close down markets that failed to pay outstanding taxes.
The state’s Commissioner for Trade and Commerce, Mr Ifeatu Onejeme, gave the warning in Awka on Tuesday at a meeting of the committee set up to recover the arrears of taxes in the state.
Onejeme said the government would no longer tolerate late or non-payment of taxes.
“Markets that fail to maintain the required level of sanitation and environmental cleanliness may also be shut down as a last resort for compliance,” he said.
According to him, the government plans to build modern markets and malls to further drive the state’s capacity for trade and commerce.
The President of Anambra Market Traders’ Association, Chief Okwudili Ezenwankwo, pledged the full support of the traders to achieve the government’s objectives.
The committee is charged with the responsibility of recovering all arrears of levies, fees and taxes from 2012 till date. (NAN)
