The Phek Town Public Forum announced that residents of Phek town will suspend payment of factional taxes from 2026, citing excessive taxation and public hardship.
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DIMAPUR — The Phek Town Public Forum (PTPF) has announced that residents of Phek town will suspend payment of taxes to all factions from 2026, citing the growing burden of multiple and excessive taxation and concerns over public hardship.
In a public statement issued on Sunday, the forum said the decision was taken following years of increasing factional presence in the district headquarters town, which it said had resulted in “excessive and unbearable” taxation on the public.
The PTPF said it functions as a town-based civil society organisation mandated by the citizens of Phek town, and has been assisting the district administration and law enforcement agencies in maintaining peace, harmony and public order.
Recalling earlier years, the forum said that only a few factions, including the NNC-FGN, had a presence in the town. During that period, it said the public, led by the PTPF, had voluntarily extended support to national workers through contributions in various forms. To avoid multiple taxation, factional collections were channelled into a common pool, with the PTPF entrusted to ensure fairness among factions, while the national workers cooperated in maintaining peace in the town, it said.
However, the forum said the situation has changed in recent years with the proliferation of factions to more than thirty, leading to what it described as unsustainable demands on the public.
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Taking note of the hardship faced by residents, the PTPF said it convened a meeting with faction representatives, which was attended by representatives from 17 factions.
“During the meeting, the PTPF had explicitly made it clear and conveyed that, with effect from 2026, the people of Phek Town will put on hold all taxation to multiple factions,” the statement read.
The PTPF said the decision aligns with the standing resolution of the Chakhesang Public Organisation (CPO) and the consistent position taken by various civil society organisations and tribal hohos advocating the principle of “one government, one tax.”
Until all factions converge into a single national platform and one government, the forum asserted, residents of Phek town will not pay tax to any faction.
The PTPF further cautioned that if any faction attempts to disturb peace and tranquillity in the town, the public would not cooperate with such groups. It added that appropriate public action would be initiated, “with or without the involvement of the district administration and law enforcement agencies,” if required.