The Awka Chamber of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture (AWKACCIMA), has called on Gov. Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra to approve the consolidated tax structure being advocated for by the private sector.
Mr Chuddy Egemba, President of AWKACCIMA, said this when he received Chief Emeka Obegolu, President of Abuja Chamber of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture, in his office on Friday.
He said unifying and consolidating the various taxes and levies into one would address the challenge of multiple taxation in the state.
He said though businesses in Anambra, like other states, were passing through difficult times as a result of challenges with foreign exchange, power and high cost of production, there were areas the state could intervene to help investments survive.
Egemba called for greater synergy between Organized Private Sector (OPS) and government for better understanding and cooperation as both needed each other to survive.
“We are calling for unified or consolidated taxes as this will check the problem of multiple taxation that businesses are subjected to.
“We are non-partisan, we are businesses so all we ask for is an improved operational environment,” he said.
On his part, Obegolu said he was in Awka in solidarity and to encourage them to continue to strive for survival in spite of the harsh operational environment occasioned by macroeconomic shocks.
He said Abuja Chamber will continue to provide support and collaborate with Awka where necessary.
Also speaking, Mt Don Onyenji, the Anambra Commissioner for Culture, Entertainment and Hospitality, said the Soludo administration was doing its best to support businesses.
Onyenji, who is also the Vice Chairman of AWKACCIMA, said the interactivity between the state government and the OPS was active, cordial and yielding positive fruits.
He blamed the relapse of power supply in Anambra on the collapse of generation, adding that the Memorandum of Understanding entered into with the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company was making Anambra a choice destination for investors. (NAN)
