The Kogi state government on Friday disclosed that collection of levies from external bakers had commenced in order to protest indigenous bakers and boost the state’s economy.
The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo, who made the disclosure in a statement issued in Lokoja, said indigenous bakeries had been paying all their levies to the state government in compliance to the state revenue law.
“We have seen and read news reports about a letter from a consultant engaged by the Kogi state government to collect bakery levies. Let us place on record that the levies are not new.
Indigenous bakeries have been paying all their levies to the state government in compliance to our revenue law.
“The recent letter was one of our strategies aimed at protecting our indigenous bakers and also to protect our economy from the activities of bakers outside the state, who bring their bread to the state without paying any form of levy.
“No responsible government will sit by and watch her indigenous businesses lose the local market.
Our indigenous bakers have complained bitterly about the activities of external bakers who packed their bread to the state in trucks and sell without paying dime to the state government,” the statement read in part.
Meanwhile, the state chairman, Master Bakers Association, Bamidele Gabriel, has commended the state government for the new policy to promote indigenous bread manufacturers.
Gabriel debunked report in a section of the online media, saying that the association was not happy with the policy.
He commended the state government for the courage and boldness in arriving at the policy, stressing that indigenous bakers had complained about the activities of external bakers.
