Chairman of Imo State Hoteliers Association, Mr. Chima Chukwunyere, has said that hotels, in Owerri, capital of the state, would close down operation if the alleged outrageous bills and multiple tax obligations given to them by the state contractors and agents did not stop.
Chukwunyere said this after a meeting of the group, in Owerri, that it was important to bring the challenge of multiple taxes to the attention of Governor Emeka Ihedioha.
He lamented that the present administration of Ihedioha co-opted the old workers used by the immediate past governor of the state, Rochas Okorocha, adding that the bills they had given to hotels were better ignored than expressed.
Chukwunyere, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Domino Paramount Hotel, Owerri, said that a private firm hired to fumigate business outfits and hotels in the state never fumigated any of the hotels.
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He also said that a contractor hired to collect rates from hoteliers slammed outrageous bills on them, some of which he claimed were high as N750,000 instead of N10,000 as stipulated by law.
He said, “A hotel that defaults is always served and sealed if the sum of N750,000 is not paid by the management of the hotel. These agents go about defrauding people, by obtaining different court orders from the magistrates’ courts.
“They don’t give time for payment to be made; what they prefer is to always seal hotels so as to hasten the payment of the N750,000 which goes into their private purse. We are crying out so that the governor will hear this and come to our aid.”
He said that an agent or contractor could get up to 50 court orders from the magistrates’ court for both existing and non-existing hotels and outfits.
