By Africa 24 newsman

As the current economic situation becomes tough for the people of Sierra Leone, the Bo City Council  has heighten the hardship on the lives of the people by increasing on them the taxes.

One Mr. Rashid told this medium that  some of the reasons why the cost of living is so high on the people in Bo is that the District Council has imposed high taxes on food commodities entering Bo city.

He said the Council is making a bad situation worse for the people of Bo and the district by imposing charges on the people.

He further said  that at Gundama Check point coming to Bo, people pay for every goods entering the city.

It is also evident that trailers are now paying Le 1,000, while trucks are paying Le 400 and Le300 respectively.

What is more frustrating for the people of Bo Southern Region district is that, apart from the huge sums drivers pay for their passage through the checkpoint, traders and farmers are paying Le5 per each bag of either rice, cassava, yams, pepper, salt,  onions, potatoes  and among many others.

One Isatu Samia, a trader informed this medium that, farmers have become frustrated on the actions taken by the Bo Council, adding that they are suffering in taking their produce from the bush to Bocity  since the  Council levying huge taxes on produce.

“This is a killer tax on us, if I pay for each bag of my cassava Le 5, how do you expect me to sell to the people, I will make it expensive, ” she said.

Sheku Daboh who spoke to our reporter disclosed that the situation has become tough for the masses because authorities who supposed to give incentives to farmers are now emgaged in extorting them, the farmers.

He entirely considers the heavy taxation as a ploy to expand the suffering of the people especially at this time of the rainy season.

“Roads are bad, rains are heavier, the cost of transport is high and now city council broaden the gap for ordinary people to perish,” Daboh said.

He said apart from the high cost of food items, the construction materials have also become an eyesore as trucks load of sand or stones will pay Le 50 to cross the checkpoints, adding that this situation has brought unending suffering and starvation for people in that part of the country.

“If I may ask, what will government offer to us as ordinary people to salvage the situation. We want our government to reduce taxes but they are still putting more pressures on us, ” he fumed.

In Bonthe and other places across south-east of Sierra Leone the masses are facing serious suffering, which if, not taking seriously will lead to  many in early demise.

In Bonthe town, already a plate of rice is Le40 while other farm produce are  sold in high cost.

So, the people are demanding President Julius Maada Bio to  intervene to immilorate their sufferings.