Vehicles Duty: Nigerians must not pay for customs corruption, failures-Bauchi PDP

Bauchi State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has advised the All Progressives Congress (APC) led federal government against implementing anti-people policies‎.

State publicity secretary of‎ the party, Yayanuwa Zainabari made the call on Thursday while reacting to the plan by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to compel car owners in the country to pay duties on their vehicles.

He accused the APC government of allowing people like the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service to implement obnoxious policies like the payment of duties by vehicle owners‎ who bought their vehicles years ago.

“How can a sensible government force a person who bought a vehicle over five years from a dealer to pay duty on that vehicle? Some people don’t even know what the duty is, they only have the money and bought the vehicles for a purpose while some were even given the vehicles.

‎”Owners of vehicles shouldn’t have the least business to do with a vehicles duty because they are not the importers, they only bought from the dealers. Where were the customs when the vehicles were imported into the country. What I see in this policy is that Nigerians will pay for the corruption perpetrated by the Nigerian Customs by allowing vehicles to enter the country without duty payment,”he said.

He added that instead of bringing in a policy that will further compound the hardship‎s of Nigerians, the NCS should cleanse itself and focus more on the enforcement of other policies that will ensure the growth of indigenous industries and boost the economy.

“Owning a car by most Nigerians is not a luxury but a necessity. If the customs are serious about raising it’s revenue base through stringent vehicles duty it can do it without putting Nigerians in more hardship. They can double the duties of expensive vehicles coming into the country. Period,”he added.

The PDP spokesperson noted that despite the goodwill of Nigerians Buhari has been enjoying, the policies of his government are putting Nigerians into more hardship.

He therefore advise the president to warn his lieutenants to avoid policies that will pitch the masses against his government.