Anambra Govt urges petroleum marketers to pay their levies

By Lucy Osuizigbo-Okechukwu

The Anambra Government says it has commenced recovery of the 2022 consolidated petroleum product levies owed the state government by petroleum products marketers across the state.

Mr Tony Ifeanya, the Commissioner for Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, made this known in Awka on Tuesday after the Joint Petroleum Enforcement Team monitored some petrol stations in the state.

Ifeanya said that the enforcement was tagged: “Operation Show Evidence of Your Payment 2022 and 2023 Consolidated Petroleum Product Levy”.

According to him, the Operation Show Evidence of Your Payment 2022 and 2023 by the enforcement team of the ministry is to ensure that the marketers are alive to their civic responsibilities.

“Aside from recovering the 2022 fees, we have also  commenced issuing of Demand Notice for payment of same levy for the year 2023. The payment of the levy would help the state government to serve them better.

“During the monitoring, the enforcement team caught some of the marketers selling adulterated petroleum products, while some were under dispensing the products with adjusted meters at very high prices.

“The team also discovered that some filling stations hoard the petroleum products to create artificial scarcity in some areas,” he said.

The commissioner said that the state government would not allow any individual or group to subject residents to untold hardship by defrauding them of their hard earned money.

According to him, the state government wants to ensure that customers got the correct measures of the  product they paid for and value for their money.

Ifeanya said that the state government was committed to  sustaining efforts toward maintaining conducive environment for businesses and investments to thrive across the state.

He urged the Petroleum Dealers Association and the Independent Petrol Marketers Association, Anambra chapter, to encourage their members to do the needful.

“These associations should encourage their members to support Gov. Chukwuma Soludo’s administration to transform the state and reposition the business sub- sector.

“They should also caution their members to avoid illicit activities aimed at defrauding the public,” he said.

(NAN)