AMMBAN Decries Illegal Taxes on Mobile Money & Bank Agents by Local Govt. Councils

Association of Mobile Money and Bank Agents of Nigeria (AMMBAN) has frowned at intimidation, disruptions and molestation of its members across the country by local  government  councils/LCDAs  officials  and  their  contractors on  the  basis of  collection of  levies and daily tolls.

This extortion according to AMMBAN is coming in the wake of a Pandemic which has brought the World economy to its knees with no exception to its members and their activities. “We have also observed with disdain, an attempt by these ‘meritless contractors’ to categorize our activities with lotto business.

In a statement made available to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek and signed by Oluwasegun Elegbede, national public relation officer of AMMBAN, the association described actions of the local governments and their contractor as a  display  of  high  level  of  ignorance  as  Mobile Money  and  Bank  agents  are  not  involved  in  any  ‘game  of  luck’  but  a  National  and  somewhat ‘thankless’  assignment  of  ensuring  financial  services  are  extended  to  the  majority  of  the excluded population in Nigeria.

“In  the  bid  to  provide  financial  services  to  the  last  mile,  agents  bear  a  plethora  of  overhead expenses, part of which are Stamp duty charges and VAT.

“This is in addition to legally recognized local government trade permit and State’s  Personal  Income  Tax.

“Any levy or toll outside these is devilish and anti-people. A case in view is the one playing out in Agbado/Oke Odo, a LCDA in Lagos State, championed by Messrs Trilling Volant Services.  AMMBAN is using this medium to inform all stakeholders that we object to the contractor’s move and have nothing whatsoever to do with them.

AMMBAN noted that it will  never  involve  itself  in  deals  that  will  subject  its  teeming  members  to  more hardship in the course of deepening financial inclusion.

“It is our belief that if no succour is provided to us in these times when we  could do with all the push we could get, we shouldn’t be made to bear more than we have on our plates.

We  are  also  calling  on  CBN,  SANEF,  EFINA  and  other  relevant  agencies  who  have  toiled  and sweated to reach this milestone in our financial inclusion drive to rise up and intervene so that our  labour  and  collective  efforts  will  not  be  in  vain  as  this  developments  threatens  the existence of last mile drivers of financial inclusion.

“We appeal to our members Nationwide to remain calm and not be intimidated while we strive to  overcome  yet  another  battle  in  this  selfless  quest  of  financially  including  80%  of  our population within the set time frame. We shall not relent until victory is achieved,” the statement added.