Lagos PDP urges Sanwo-Olu to scrap levies on food
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State has called on Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to scrap multiple taxes and levies on food markets to reduce the suffering of ordinary residents.
The PDP Publicity Secretary in the state, Mr Hakeem Amode, who made the call in a statement on Monday in Lagos, said the economic burdens on the poor had increased due to taxes on food and fruits.
Amode, who was reacting to Sanwo-Olu’s recent statement that Lagos residents consumed N4.5 billion worth of food daily, said the development and high cost of food items should raise concern among the citizens.
The PDP’s spokesman decried that the Lagos food market was strictly controlled and taxed.
In his words, “The state currently runs a monopolistic food market where free trade is not allowed and those allowed to trade paid different categories of taxes to the markets’ authorities.
“Sadly, many fresh farm products that are mostly displayed on weekends are not exempted from the taxes and levies which have made food prices in the state unaffordable to the common man.
“An individual cannot buy food items in bulk and bring them for sale to consumers in the state without going through the cult-like system the state has put in place and they determine the prices these food items are sold to the detriment of the good people of the state.”
While describing the APC-led government in the state as lacking human feelings, he urged electorates to vote the ruling party out of power in the 2023 general elections.
According to him, APC must be replaced with a people-oriented government, which PDP and its candidate Dr Abdulazeez Olajide Adediran represents, to bring succour to the sufferings of the people of the state.
He assured residents that if PDP was voted into power, it would make them enjoy better living standards in the state.
Amode said that PDP programmes and policies were people-oriented and had youths as their key focus due to their population, mindset and the solution they proffered.