By Andrew Cohen Amvesi
ARUA
The South Sudanese fish mongers operating in Arua main market in Arua Central Division, Arua City have threatened to take their business elsewhere over alleged exorbitant local taxes targeting their members.
The fish mongers under their umbrella association dubbed ‘Leudier and Goi fish traders union’ have stopped some of their fish trucks in Madi Okollo district and refused to offload the one at Arua main market in protest of the excess local tax imposed on them.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday June 12, 2024, Mathew Tonny, the association chairperson said they have been paying shs30,000 per bundle of fish on arrival at Arua main market but from the time Arua city contracted Betai Enterprises Limited, the contractor issued them with a notice to start paying shs50,000 per bundle of fish effective June 1, 2024.
“When our trucks come into central division, the contractors collect up to shs1, 880,000 per truck and if we supply 15 trucks in a month that means they collect up to 28,000,200 per month and when we supply 20 trucks, they collect up to shs37,600,000 as local tax. We have vendors pay which is shs50,000 each bundle of fish after sales of which when we supply 15 trucks per month, we pay up to shs45,000,000 and if we supply in 20 trucks per month, we pay up to shs50,000,000,” Tonny explained.
He said the off loaders who are the brokers take up to shs36,000,000 whenever they supply 15 trucks of fish per month and shs48,000,000 when they supply 20 trucks.
“The Arua district fisheries office collects shs80,000 per truck and shs10,000 per bundle of Tilapia fish. These are the things that the fish vendors in Arua central market from South Sudan are leaving behind here in Arua central division but still not being recognized and to be treated as something valuable and helpful to the people of central division. Actually, some local leaders in the division had already said that they don’t care about our existence in the market. That if we don’t accept the increment of the market dues, we are free to go where we want to go,” Tonny said.
Tonny observed that previously they were paying shs30,000 as local tax per bundle of which when you calculate 60 bundles in a truck, it makes about shs1.8m per truck of fish.
“Now they want to add the local tax again to be shs50,000 per bundle which we have resisted and it is against the rights of the traders. The expense on us is too much right from the borders of entrance to Arua, we are fighting by all means to make sure that the Arua market should exist and operate but we have been frustrated here and there,” Tonny remarked.
He added that: “As per now, we cease to offload fish in Arua main market and in Arua Central Division. The trucks which are on the way destined for Arua main market in Arua Central Division will stop in Madi Okollo district. The truck which is already inside the market will be driven out until this leadership of Arua central division gives us a notice of offloading at the usual fee of shs30,000 per bundle.”
Tonny said that, they will leave Arua central market and start selling their fish either in Arua district which has welcomed them with two hands or Ayivu division if they are interested in giving them a market space.
“The market of Sudanese fish is open anywhere and the Congolese who are the main buyers of our fish are smelling where the fish is to go and buy. So, we shall lose nothing by leaving the Central Division market, the people who will be affected are the Central Division people not us,” Tonny said.
Denis Matata Mazu, a member of the association said before the contract was awarded to Betai Enterprises Limited, they were doing business smoothly with the central division council until last month when the company came up with an unexplained increment of the local tax.
“Their target is mostly on fish, not other commodities. If other commodities are paying shs4,000 but fish is paying for them shs30,000. We are bringing for them money to develop this city but now they are chasing us away from the city, they are chasing us away from the Central Division. Otherwise, the other divisions and districts are eager to receive us, we shall go!” Mazu threatened.
But when contacted Malik Drakuma, the Arua Central Division Town Clerk said in September last year council was able to revise the market dues for a number of items including perishable goods and fish among others.
“What prompted the revision was because of inflation and high cost of delivering service. So, these resources are coming from the revenues that we collect. As council, we started experiencing challenges of delivering quality service to the urban populace and we said there is a need to revise a bit these rates,” Drakuma said.
“So, from shs30,000 per bundle of fish, the rate was revised to shs50,000 per bundle. All those changes came with engagements. The Sudanese even appreciated that the way we handle council issues were good because we don’t use force, we don’t wake up the following day then you begin implementing and that was the appreciation we got from the South Sudanese team,” Drakuma stated.
However, Drakuma said after the agreement, they gave the Sudanese fish mongers two weeks to begin the implementations.
He noted that when the two weeks elapsed, that is when the council started sending their revenue collection team on ground, leading to the standoff which will soon be solved.
