Worries cast long shadows on Tete’s face as he furiously punched figures into his calculator, desperately hoping to reassure himself that the palpitations he was experiencing were because of a wrong figure somewhere.
Back in Benue, his state of origin, he had heard stories of how the federal capital territory was a fertile ground for young hardworking people like himself who were willing to do whatever it took to have their names pop up in one Google search. But the journey to success was not as easy as he thought. In no time, he found himself grappling with keeping his business afloat while wrestling with an unseen adversary – multiple taxes.PricewaterhouseCoopers Inc
“People only close their shops when they have other sources of income, but this is my only income. So, I just have to suffer and smile.”When asked if he had enjoyed any benefits of the taxes he paid, Tete paused to ponder, stroking his beard while staring as cars raced by.“I don’t see any benefit,” he said after a long hard thought.“You need to see the benefit and be motivated to pay. Taxes are like an investment; you need to see the returns.
“The other day, they spoke to my boss about it and she was even confused. She said ‘which one is merriment tax again’ and they had to settle it.” “FIRS will come with their own. AMAC will come and say ‘No, it is supposed to be them’. You’ll still pay for the billboard and after paying for the billboard, another set of people will come and tell you that the person you paid to is no longer with them and you have to pay another one,” he said angrily.