The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria has called for a joint task force, including the association, police, and the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, to tackle illegal levies imposed on manufacturers.

MAN president, c made the call at the 55th annual general meeting of the association’s Apapa branch in Lagos.

Mr Meshioye said manufacturers operating in Apapa faced multiple taxes and levies from government agencies and non-state actors, particularly along industrial and port access roads.

He said illegal collections along major trade corridors had increased manufacturers’ operating costs, urging the Lagos government to enforce a ‘no-tout zone’ policy in industrial areas.

“In Apapa, taxation comes from everywhere. A truck moving raw materials from the port to Amuwo can be stopped by multiple agencies before it gets to the factory gate. That is in addition to corporate tax, Value Added Tax (VAT) and state levies,” he said.

Mr Meshioye also called for safeguards against illegal levies in Amuwo, Kirikiri and other port access roads, as well as a single bill covering port-related charges to eliminate multiple fees on container movement.

He urged the state government to collaborate with the Nigerian Ports Authority and Nigerian Shippers’ Council to achieve the arrangement.

He said the impact of the reforms should be measured by increased business expansion, investment and employment.

Mr Meshioye further called for the establishment of an Apapa Trade Corridor Authority to coordinate roads, drainage, security and regulation across Apapa, Amuwo and Kirikiri.

Chairman of MAN Apapa branch, Raphael Danilola, said multiple taxation, regulatory burdens, insecurity, high energy costs, expensive credit and port charges had created a difficult operating environment for manufacturers.

Mr Danilola urged the Lagos state government to rehabilitate the Amuwo-Odofin drainage and road networks, curb extortion by non-state actors and review the mandates of its agencies to eliminate duplication.

“Ultimately, our concern is simple: how do we ensure that tax reform strengthens manufacturing competitiveness rather than adds another layer of pressure on businesses already operating in a challenging environment?” he said.

The executive secretary of the Joint Revenue Board, Olusegun Adesokan, said the new tax administration framework reduced more than 100 taxes to nine unified revenue heads at the sub-national level.

Mr Adesokan said the revenue heads covered income tax, stamp duty, property tax, road tax, haulage levy, economic development levy, harmonised levy, user charge and daily tickets. He said the framework also abolished revenue roadblocks along transportation corridors and prohibited cash payments for taxes.

He said offenders could face penalties of up to five million naira or three years’ imprisonment, or both, for mounting revenue roadblocks, while unauthorised cash tax collection attracted penalties of up to two million naira or three years’ imprisonment, or both.

He added that associations, unions and other non-state actors were prohibited from collecting taxes on behalf of government.

MAN’s director-general, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, said the four new tax laws that took effect on January 1, 2026, could reposition the tax system to support productivity if effectively implemented.

Mr Ajayi-Kadir said manufacturers previously paid between 120 and 160 taxes and levies, creating high compliance costs and uncertainty. He said the new regime, which limited the number of taxes and levies to nine, would simplify compliance and provide greater certainty for businesses.

He urged authorities to ensure that tax compliance was simple, transparent and supported by effective mechanisms for resolving disputes.

Mr Ajayi-Kadir also called for an effective tax ombudsman system to provide an impartial channel for resolving disputes between taxpayers and revenue authorities.

(NAN)