Dozens of private sector traders and businessmen set up a sit-in protest on Sunday in front of the Tax Department, located in al-Safia district in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a, in protest over the arbitrary measures, and blackmailing exercised by the officials of the tax department.
The private sector traders demand an immediate, unconditional release of tax numbers, and the recovery of the amounts of money taken from the private sector by tax department officials at the ports which clearly violates the tax legislation.
The protesters called on the concerned authorities to quickly reshuffle the tax department and purge it from the corrupt officials, whom they say should be held accountable and be tried. They further called for reforming the current legislative system in a way that allows the private sector to effectively participate in running things in the department.
They emphatically denied what the general director of the tax department, Mohammed Galab, said in a statement previously that there are armed men surrounding the government-own building, emphasizing he meant to distort the legitimate, and rightful demands of the private sector merchants.
A protester told Yemen Post anonymously that there sit-in protest is peaceful, arguing that the gate of the tax department is open not as what was claimed by the department's director.
For his part, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman in Sana'a, Hassan al-Kabous, has stressed that the private sector sit-in protest will continue until all of the private sector rightful demands are met.
"As long as the traders have paid the taxes in advance, what the department is doing is illegal because they try to blackmail the private sector," said al-Kabous.
"The state funds and revenues all go to the pockets of the corrupt officials, and we demand that the taxes we pay go directly to the state," he continued.
The famous businessmen went on to demand that all corrupt officials, whom are according to him are well-known, leave and be accountable for their corruption.