NASU tackles govts over multiple taxes

Maryam Abeeb, Abuja

The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions has condemned the federal and state governments over multiple taxes deducted from the salaries of its members.
It demanded that such deductions must be stopped.
NASU noted in a statement that the government must place tax ceilings for low-income workers, saying deductions, such as the National Housing Fund must be discontinued.
The NASU General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi, said, “The excessive and multiple taxations being imposed on members of our union has become a very unbearable burden for our members. These excessive and multiple taxes imposed by the federal and state governments is an act of being insensitive to the plight of workers.
“They include; income tax, value-added tax, bank charges tax, communications tax as well as the National Housing Fund. On several occasions, we have had cause to talk to the governments about the negative effect of these taxes and their excessive nature on our members’ welfare.”
The union added, “We regard the National Housing Fund as another form of tax imposed by the Federal Government on its employees. Under the extant National Housing Fund Law 1992, every Nigerian earning N3,000 or more per annum is required to contribute 2.5 per cent of their monthly basic salary to the NHF.
“The salaries and wages paid to them can no longer be regarded as a living wage as they have become slave wages, forcing our members to live below the internationally declared poverty line. We call for the abrogation of the National Housing Fund Law and the stoppage of further deductions,” the union added.