Vehicles are queued up and passengers who cannot produce their tax receipts for verification are forced to disembark the vehicles. Most of the collectors are former AFRC/RUF fighters that are treating people in the same manner they were doing during their regime in 1997. They molest people and have respect for no one.
Meanwhile, concerns have been raised over the selective manner in which the FCC officials are undertaking their search of vehicles. It has been noticed that the FCC is only targeting commercial vehicles, whilst private vehicles are allowed to ply without any obstruction.
"They are only targeting the "Poda-Podas" and the taxis. They are creating the impression that private vehicles are exempt from obtaining their local tax receipts", an eyewitness told this writer at Wilberforce one of the numerous locations of the FCC road blocks in the city.
Some of the FCC officials stand accused of being aggressive in communicating with the people.
It has also been noticed that most of these FCC officials who embarrasses people for tax receipts did not have any form of identification neither do they have their own tax receipts. Also of concern to the citizens is the non-transparent manner of the FCC, with regards the collection and use of the tax monies.
In a random chat with people on the ground, citizens are saying that it is their right to know how much the FCC is collecting on the various taxes and how it is being utilized for the benefit of the city. The FCC, they believe, is not accountable and is yet to impress the citizens with the much trumpeted beautification of the city. Most have said that the activities of the city council are not felt which means misappropriation is rife at the FCC.
"They collect huge sums of monies on a daily basis from vehicles, private residences, business houses and street traders among others, but we remain unaware of how much is being collected and for what purposes are the monies being collected," Brima Kargbo told our reporter.
They are several calls to the authorities concerned to review this road blocks strategy and save the people from additional traffic jams and unnecessary harassment.
