Enugu Commercial Drivers Devise Ways To Evade N400 Daily Levy

Some commercial drivers in Enugu State have adjusted their operations to evade the compulsory N400 daily levy which the state government imposed on them to increase its internally generated revenue.

The State Governor, Mr Peter Mba, had on assumption of office, said his administration would increase the state’s capital base from its current $4.4bn to $30bn. One of the means to achieve the target was taxation, our correspondent gathered.

Against this backdrop, the state government imposed a compulsory N400 daily levy on all commercial bus drivers operating in the state.

The levy, it was gathered, is being paid online, while the drivers are to show evidence of payment. The payment could also be verified online by the task force established to implement the taxation.

A driver plying Enugu-9th Mile-Oji River road, who identified his name as Richard, said, “It is difficult to pay that sum under our present situation. A litre of fuel is now N680 in the state. We are told that touts have been banned in the state, but they are still at loading points collecting their charges on a daily basis.

“Having looked at all these, I realised that driving business is already dead. Passengers don’t agree to adjust to fare increment. I have decided that whenever I don’t have contracts to convey people or goods to places in the morning, I will drive until 12:30pm when the task force begins to enforce their order.

“I understand that we are expected to have paid the sum from morning till 1pm. The surcharge for failure to pay is N7000 from 1pm to 4pm. Some of us now retire from work before 1pm and come back from 4pm. It is paying off because there is no money anywhere.”

Another driver, Ikenna, said, “I only drive on some market days to be able to fuel my bus. I farm on other days. I also relax more at home because it’s no longer profitable to be a commercial driving.”