EFD, tax annoy Songea traders.

Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA)

Songea residents have expressed concerns over increased tax to 100 per cent and the use of the  controversial Electronic Fiscal Device (EFD), saying the two are problems to people to access commodities.

 

The residents claim they suffer because when shops and markets are closed, they have nowhere to buy their needs.

 

“We don’t know where to get our requirements,” said Samwel Komba a resident of Mpitimi village who had went to Songea municipality to buy commodities.

 

Komba had left at 05:00 am to Songea only to find out that the shops were closed and asked a relative in Njombe to buy farm inputs and send them to him through vehicles.

 

The inputs were then sent to him by road between Mbeya/ Iringa and Songea.

 

Another resident, Happiness Kisite from Mkongotema village was surprised to see traders close their shops. Many customers come from villages.

 

“There are three of us coming from Mkongotema and we are astonished all the shops are closed,” she told this paper on Thursday.

 

Shaibu Ngonyani a resident of Mgazini called on the government to resolve the issue quickly.

 

Songea municipal council commercial officer Kelvin Charle said his office had no official reports on the said strike, though informally people told him traders would close their shops.

 

Chairman of Tanzania Business Community for Ruvuma Region Titus Mbilinyi said the government should listen to people's complaints regrading tax  and EFD, saying  they were a major hindrance to prosperity.

 

But Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) Manager for Ruvuma Region Rosalia Mwenda advised traders to open up their shops because the government was already working on their matter.

 

Recently, traders countrywide went on strike demanding the release of their leader Johnson Minja who was arrested by police for questioning on grounds of defending other traders.