By Stanley Onyekwere
The Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) has been dragged to an FCT High Court in Maitama, over the alleged unnecessary levies/taxes it imposes on licensed taxi operators in the nation’s capital territory.
The suit, which was instituted by the Painted Abuja Taxi (PAT) Nig. Limited, is seeking a pronouncement by the court on the daily N200 ticket and other charges impose on taxi drivers that ply the Abuja metropolis.
Addressing members of the organisation recently, during its 2014 end of the year party, PAT Chairman, Comrade Shehu Shugaba Yar’ Adua described the tickets impose by AMAC as unnecessary having allegedly failed to meet its obligation to taxi operators by providing adequate motor parks.
“We are in court and waiting for court judgment on that. We are saying that AMAC has no any right to impose fines on us whether we buy tickets or did not buy tickets, they don’t have the right to fine us, and they are not court to fine us. It is only court that can pronounce someone guilty.
“We are also saying AMAC has no right to come outside their park to sell tickets to us, what they suppose to have done is to give us park, that is why the law give them the right to charge 10 per cent per loading in the park, but these people have not provided parks for us, they charge us N200 every day, automatically each taxi drivers pay N60, 000 per annum as tax to AMAC,” Yar’Adua said.
Furthermore, the PAT chairman said that taxi drivers pay N50 daily per entry on the parks provided by FCT administration, adding that paying another N200 to AMAC is frustrating many drivers out of the business.
Never miss a moment! Get the stories shaping Nigeria, delivered straight to your phone. Follow Peoplesdaily Newspaper on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive reports, and the headlines everyone will be talking about, before anyone else.
