Lagos State Government, yesterday, introduced a daily consolidated informal transport sector levy of N800 for commercial transporters, besides union dues of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN).
Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Rabiu Olowo, who disclosed this at the agreement-signing ceremony by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), councils and transport unions, said collection of the consolidated levy will commence on February 1, 2022.
He said the harmonised levy became necessary to ensure the state’s transport sector is organised better to fit a 21st-century economy.
Olowo said the levy takes care of dues previously accruing to councils and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) across the state, as well as revenue for Lagos Waste Management Authority (LASWA), Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) and Lagos State Inland Revenue Service (LIRS), among others.
He said the state government anticipates that once a transporter pays the N800 at a point, he is not expected to pay at any other park or bus stop throughout the day.
Olowo said the consolidated levy would reduce the multiplicity of collections, as many residents and transporters had already complained about the huge levies unions take in the state.
The commissioner also cited a report about an alleged N150 billion collected by transport unions in the state under the guise of dues, stressing that the new policy would eliminate multiple levies and dues.
Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Transportation, Oluwatoyin Fayinka, said anyone caught collecting money at any park, besides union dues and the consolidated levy, should be reported to the police for prompt action.
Fayinka, who cautioned transporters against paying any other levy, expressed hope that the initiative would ease burdens in terms of amount and mode of payment.
Speaking on behalf of the unions, Chairman, NURTW, Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, said the unions are in support of the move.
He, however, clarified that the consolidated levy does not include dues, which the unions would continue to collect.
On the mode of payment, MC Oluomo stated that the N800 would not cover the levy collected by the transport union members on the road, called, ‘agberos,’ saying it only affected the taxes and other charges being collected by Government.
According to him, “I want to make it clear that the N800 only cover all the money collected by the MDAs; it does not affect the NURTW ticket.”
