By Henry Kargbo
Traders in Freetown in the early hours yesterday Thursday 3 March 2022, closed their shops and businesses as part of peaceful protest to the already imposed National Revenue Authority NRA Goods and Services tax Electronic Cash Register (ECR) machines recently installed by the authority at shops and businesses entities across the country.Shops across Freetown were closed from the east, the central business district and in the west of the city due to the Government introduction and full enforcement of the operations of the NRA ECR machines by business entities.
Restaurants, pharmacies, clothing stores, building materials and constructions hardware stores, electronic stores and others forms of goods traders were off businesses on Thursday in show of their disapproval of the introduction and imposition of the ECR machine,
Shops and stores owners after the other Forum spoke with on Rawdon, Siaka Stevens and on Sani Abacha Streets all in Freetown expressed their disappointment at the rate of extortion being mated on them by government agencies in the name of taxes including the infamous duplicated GST, arguing that why should the Government calculate their daily sales to refund them as expected.
According to some shops owners Baimba Jawara at Wilberforce Street in Freetown there is no need for the Government to calculate their daily sales, because they are managing private investments and described the ECR as a huge burdens on consumers in the situation of any price increase.
“We spend a lot on paying our GST and other charges just for us to sustain our businesses in this country”, he cried, continued: “If these issues are not resolved our shops/stores will remain closed for over two weeks or more various”.
Some Sani Abacha Street traders randomly spoke to Forum said the introduction of ECR is not welcome and can never be embrace by the business community people.
