Revenue collectors in Busia county are at loggerheads with Governor Sospeter Ojaamong over collection of County revenue during this Covid-19 pandemic period.
The officers who seem to have defied orders from their boss to stop collecting revenue from public service vehicles continue going about with their business as usual in points such as Tanaka within Busia Municipality and in Nambale town.
In his earlier directive two weeks ago, the governor said he saw absolutely no sense of continuing to tax matatus during this hard economic times occasioned by the pandemic.
“I am asking them to stop collecting money from matatus with immediate effect starting now. No government is interested in collecting taxes during this period because almost all businesses have been severely affected. Our focus now is to fight the Coronavirus and not collecting taxes,” the governor had stated two weeks ago.
But the revenue collectors could hear non of it hence defying the Governor and continue taking Ksh. 80 from every matatu that enters Busia town and a similar amount on matatus that exit Busia county via Busia Mumias road in Nambale town.
The matatu operators are now questioning how junior officers can defy the governor’s directives saying they expected them to do as the directed and not to continue with their usual harassment.
“it’s unfortunate that we are still being taxed. Where is this money being taken to and yet revenue offices were closed because of Coronavirus?” David Omondi a matatu driver asked.
A the same time Ombati Ojwang and Vincent Osundwa, have accused the county government of being quick to collect tax from them but instead provide them with poor services.
“What do they use the taxes for because even if you look at the Busia bus stage it’s in pathetic state. It is full of water and nobody bothers to renovate it”, asked Ombati.
