Operators of rickshaws and commercial motorcycles commonly known as ‘Boda-Boda’ on Thursday took to the streets in the Jonglei State capital, Bor town, to protest what they call over taxation.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj Thursday, Bol Manyang, a representative of the striking riders, said they decided to protest because they want the government to reduce recent tax hikes.
“The problem is about the price. The price is too much. They demand that we pay SSP 50,000 in road license approval fees from 6000 SSP and then later SSP 10,000 SSP,” he said.
A Boda-Boda rider, who identified himself only as Bol, said they had, however, resumed as they await the government’s response to their demands and called for calm among his colleagues.
A rickshaw rider, Abraham Deng, also called on the government to scrap the hike saying it is matching their earnings, and warned that he could be forced to stop working if their demands go unmet.
“We are complaining that this road approval fee of SSP 50,000 per each rider is too huge because if you add other money they are demanding like business license fees it means we pay up to SSP 100,000 which we can not afford,” he said.
One Bor resident, John Bior, also sided with the riders, expressing worry that many young people could be forced to join gang groups if they are left jobless over the fee hike decision.
For his part, Samuel Ateny Pech, the mayor of Bor, said he was aware of the rider’s demands but insisted the fees were mandatory to source government coffers.