Traders at Kumasi Racecourse say they will not accept the payment of ‘unlawful’ taxes imposed on them by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) in Ashanti Region.
Clad in red and black attire, the traders sung and shouted to demonstrate at the plantain selling enclave over what they termed unlawfully issuing of tickets by the Assembly (KMA).
Leadership of the Assembly ventured into the market to issue tickets and collect market tolls from the traders which the latter is refusing to oblige.
The demonstrating traders claimed that the authorities are not being fair.
Speaking to Angel FM’s correspondent, Bismark Mensah, they said, they took loans to the tune of almost two billion old Ghana Cedes to construct the marketplace without any help from the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and therefore can’t understand why they should pay any taxes to the Assembly.
According to them, the land was full of mould and dust and whenever it rained, they suffered. Also they alleged they had to endure the heat from the sun but the authorities failed to help even though they reached out to them.
They noted that they would accept the tickets and pay taxes to the KMA when the Assembly return the monies they have spent to build their trading centre.
The leader of the traders, Barfour Gyau, speaking to media declared that “we will not pay today, tomorrow and others unless the KMA gives back the loan we spent on this land.”
Some of the traders lamented about the difficulties they were facing and how that has affected buying and selling in the market which they said should be of concern to the KMA instead of imposing taxes on them.
