Recession: Obiano Abolishes taxes in Anambra to Cushion Effect

Earlier today, www.elekenews.com received an email from a government agent, containing the text of a special statewide broadcast message of the Anambra State governor. Shortly after the receipt of the email, a call came in, inviting the publisher of elekenews.com to a press briefing, inwhich the anambra state commissioner for information, communications strategy, Ogbuefi Tony Nnacheta was to breakdown the message contained in the governor's broadcast.

below is the summary of what the governor said, including the clarifications of the commissioner.

Anambra State governor, Chief Willie Obiano has abolished the payment of some taxes and also introduced some measures to cushion the effect of the hardship experienced by residents of the state as a result of the recession.

A special broadcast by the governor to the people of the state yesterday, which was tagged; Economic Stimulus Package saw the governor phasing out some taxes, some of which he dubbed; illegal.

The governor said, "Following the formal announcement by the Federal Government that the nation’s economy has gone into a recession, I consider it my duty as your Governor to distil the message of the economic situation of the country down to the grassroots.

"I am happy to announce to you that I have come up with a stimulus package that will ease the pain of the recession and help our dear state bounce back to prosperity.

"Consequently, our intervention comes in four key areas; tax relief programme, special intervention programmes for Small and Medium Enterprises, MSMEs and Large Enterprises and social intervention programme for low income households and finally; Intervention in Infrastructure-for-Jobs," the governor said.

The governor said the objective of the Tax Relief Programme is to evaluate existing taxes, levies and fees in the state and introduce some waivers and in some cases scrap the collection of some illegal levies imposed on the people.

Some of the taxes abolished include; sale of consolidated emblems, collection of Hawkers Permit, collection of Wheelbarrow Tax and and all unapproved levies on students in public primary and secondary schools.

The commissioner for information, Ogbuefi Tony Nnacheta who briefed journalists after the governor's state wide broadcast said, the state would be losing a total of N200 million, just to ensure that the people of the state do not feel the impact of the harsh economic condition.

Nnacheta said the state government came up with this as a way of trying to be a solution to the problem of the country instead of letting its citizens be victims.