Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has been urged to reduce the recently increased stallage Fees in Anambra markets, especially Government-owned markets.
The Anambra Traders' Forum who made the appeal in a statement issued and made available to the media in Onitsha, the State commercial hub, lamented that the fees are becoming unbearable for most traders in the market.
The Anambra State Government through the office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Trade, Commerce, and Markets, increased the spillage fee from N12,000 to N30,000.
In the statement signed by Chief Uzoma Anunihu, Chief Media Officer, the group said the Anambra markets are mainly populated by women, some of them are widows.
They said paying this outrageous amount would be difficult for them and therefore called on the State Government to drastically review, the amount downwards to N15,000.
ATF also said that the timing for the astronomical increase was wrong, giving the current biting hard time due to inflation and famine as one of the reasons why the traders would find it extremely difficult to pay the fees.
They also said with both Local Government and Governorship elections fast approaching, it is ill-advised to compel the traders to pay such an outrageous amount because they would not be happy voting for the ruling party in the State, the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).
The group said that as much as the Governor needs money to uplift the state's infrastructural and empowerment of the downtrodden, especially the youth and women, the people should not be unnecessarily over-taxed and should be allowed to have a new breath.