Commercial buses in Lagos to pay harmonised N800 levies daily
Lagos State government has harmonized the daily levies collected from commercial buses, saying they will now pay only N800 each daily.
In an agreement signed with the union of transport workers (NURTW) and local governments in the state concerning Consolidated Informal Sector Transport Levy, the buses will henceforth not pay multiple dues in the various garages in the state.
State commissioner for finance, Dr. Rabiu Olowo, said the new levy will cover monies for the local government, clearing of waste from the motor parks, which was being paid to the Lagos State Waste Management Agency (LAWMA), and pollution, dues which were collected by Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), among others.
The commissioner said personal income taxes of the drivers will also be deducted from the N800 levy which commences with immediate effect.
By this, each bus would have paid N292,000 by the end of each year.
Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of NURTW, Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya, explained that the union, in collaboration with the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), approached the state government to consolidate the fees collected by different local governments and agencies to make collection easier for government, adding that the buses will however still pay union dues separately.
Special adviser to the governor on transportation, Toyin Fayinka, said the development is the phase one approach towards total restructuring of the transport sector; saying it is expected to bring sanity to motor parks in line with best practices globally.
The finance commissioner said his findings reveled that commercial buses pays about N3, 000 each every day while some buses pay as high as N8,000 to N9,000.
He said the new development will create revenue assurance, and reduce the levies paid by bus drivers at different parks before now, adding that it will also drastically reduce the cost of road transportation.
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