CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY ? Businessmen here will close shop for a day Tuesday to protest a regional internal revenue official that they accuse of harassment and of being arbitrary.

In a rare show of unity, the businessmen decided to take this step to press the ouster of Mustapha Gandarosa, Bureau of Internal Revenue regional director.

The newly formed Coalition of Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), which counts as its members prominent Chinese traders in Mindanao, had earlier agreed to wait for the response of Malacañang to their appeal for the immediate replacement of Gandarosa.

Mayor Constantino Jaraula personally brought the traders? letter to President Macapagal-Arroyo on Monday but came back with no clear response.

?We have decided to go ahead with the one-day close shop and protest march after a week of waiting because evidently there is nothing that promises any fulfillment of what we appealed for from the President and [Finance] Secretary Teves,? said lawyer Oscar Musni, CCCI spokesperson.

The traders will shut down their business for a day and join a protest march to the regional office of the BIR here, bearing placards that say ?No to BIR harassment!?

The protest, dubbed ?Sara Protesta,? will see wealthy Chinese traders join hands with small entrepreneurs to condemn what they say are ?arbitrary and oppressive tax assessments? imposed by Gandarosa.

Jaraula has already signified his support to the protest.

In a position paper published in major newspapers, the coalition said that its support for the government?s revenue generation efforts had been abused by Gandarosa by ?issuing hundreds of Letters of Authority (LAs) and Mission Orders (MOs) to conduct tax examination on the heels of the annual tax audit.?

?If the on-going oppressive tax examinations and assessments continue, the permanent closure of businesses by some of our members and the resulting economic dislocation would be inevitable,? the coalition added.

A businessman, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal, also said Gandarosa constantly sends his ?tax assessors? to ?harass and extort money? from him.

Another grocery owner had said Gandarosa had been forcing him to pay P30 million in income tax based on questionable computations.

In a TV interview, Gandarosa denied any wrongdoing, saying he was ?merely obeying instructions from his superiors.?