Teknaf: Burmese traders and transporters on the western Burmese border are currently facing an increase in the number of tax collectors from multiple government departments, at the main jetty in Maungdaw, a female trader said.
 
The jetty is the most important point in border trade with Bangladesh and traders must use it whenever visiting Bangladesh across the Naff River.
 
"We have to pay three tax collecting groups at the jetty, when we go to Bangladesh, with Burmese goods, and we also have to pay five tax collectors, when we return to Maungdaw from Teknaf," she said.
 
The traders have to pay taxes to the customs team, a Nasaka team, and the jetty authorities, whenever they are travelling from Burma to Bangladesh. Later, they have to pay taxes to the municipal authority, the police, the market bidder, customs, and the Nasaka, whenever they return to Burma from Bangladesh via the jetty.
 
According to a local source, the collectors are from the government departments, but the taxes are unofficial and are being collected to line the pockets of the teams stationed at the jetty.
 
"We have incurred no profits at present from our business, while trading with Bangladesh because of the many illegal tax collectors, but we have no other business so we have to continue this trading with Bangladesh," she said.
 
Many traders are suffering due to the tax collectors, but they continue to visit Bangladesh daily in hopes of a small profit, which would help improve their life and help them survive.
 
Burma's traders export many goods to Bangladesh through the jetty, including blankets of Chinese-make, longyi, women's sarongs, areca nut, turmeric, zi taw fee, and batteries.
 
The traders also bring goods back from Bangladesh, including t-shirts, cooking oil, garlic, tin pots, and biscuits.