TUC Rejects Law On Social Services Levy

The Trade Union Con
gress of Nigeria (TUC) rivers State Chapter has kicked against the law on social services levy before the State House of Assembly.
Speaking to The Tide correspondent in Port Harcourt on Thursday, the state chairman of the union
Comrade Chika Onuegbu said that the union and its affiliates would not accept the reintroduction of the controversial social services levy or any other new tax law in whatever disguise on the workers in the state.
Onuegbu said that the position of TUC in the state on the new tax law before the current State House  of Assembly is very clear, describing the new social services levy law as outlawed which a court of competent jurisdiction  has ruled against that law and similar laws previously.
He said that the union resisted the law under the previous administration in the state and that the union shall continue to resist it under the present administration as such law amounts to double taxation of the workers.
The TUC boss said that members of the union and her affiliates never paid the social services contributory levy in the state and were also not part of its Board as previously constituted.
The union leader said that the planned reintroduction of the law amounted to additional hardship on the workers, stressing that the TUC in the state will resist the planned imposition of additional taxes by the government.
He advised the state government to limit the collection of taxes to the Taxes and Levies (Approved list for Collection) Act.
He enjoined the state House of Assembly to concentrate on making laws that will improve the welfare of the workers and ordinary people in the state.

Philip Okparaji