The South-East Amalgamated Markets Traders Association opposed the Nigeria Customs Service's recent hike in the import tariff on shipments on Monday.
SEAMATA is a trade union that represents traders in all markets in the South-East geopolitical zone, as well as traders of South-East ancestry in all states of the federation and the diaspora.
It claimed that the increase was not based on the invoice value of consignments and was intended to destroy Igbo firms.
SEAMATA said in a statement signed by its President-General and Secretary-General, Chief Gozie Akudolu and Mr Alex Okwudiri, that the Customs had introduced a method of calculating import duty payments on goods and set out a specific minimum amount payable for each 40ft container, but that it had since been abandoned.
"Between 2020 and now, the sum paid on cargoes as import taxes has climbed in geometric proportion from N750,000 to N2m, back to N3m, and now to N3.3m for 40ft containers; while 20ft containers have gone to N1.8m," the statement stated.
"Now, Nigerian Customs calculates due import tax based on 'estimated' invoice value of consignment vs actual invoice value of goods from the place of origin on their own."
"This development is not only causing untold hardships for importers, but it is also exacerbating citizens' sufferings because it has coincided with an astronomical increase in the price of imported goods, as the Nigerian Customs estimated invoice value is always far above the actual cost of imports."
