Village Council Sovima asks traders not to pay tax to Naga factions

Our Reporter
Dimapur, Sep. 2 (EMN): Chairman of Village Council Sovima in Dimapur, Sebastain Zumvu issued a circular on Thursday informing that “no business establishments or individuals within the jurisdiction of Sovima village shall pay ‘tax’ to any Naga underground factions until the various group unite and Naga people decide otherwise”.

The circular stated that the directive was in accordance with the resolution adopted by Chümoukedima Circle Chakhro Public Organisation at a meeting held on August 24, 2021 at Uraa village.

“This is in tune with the decision taken up by the Naga Public on October 31, 2013 in the matter of ‘One Government, One Tax’. Those contravening this circular shall be doing so at their own peril,” it added.

Shedding more light on the consequences of “illegal tax” to Eastern Mirror, Zumvu said that it’s the common people who bore the brunt of taxation as business people get back the money they spent on taxes from the customers.

“The businesses are still flourishing and so it means that we the common people are paying it,” he said, adding ‘it is not an extortion imposed on the business community but an imposition on the common Naga people’.

The chairman of Village Council Sovima also stated that Nagas might not be very involved in business but ‘this business community’ is paying tax to about 11 different factions “because of fear of the gun”.

“Basically, the Naga movement started because we did not want to pay tax, but in the cruel twist of fate , we are now having to pay taxes to so many organisations which is unacceptable,” he said.

‘What was once a movement of the people, it has gone against the very people that the movement is supposed to be struggling for,’ he added.

He went on to say that the circular was to remind the business community and the small traders in Sovima jurisdiction that ‘the village council may not be able to do many things but we have legality’.