Labour Asked For Tax Holiday, Not Three Months Bonus, Agbabiaka Described The Bonus As A Greek Gift
The NLC Chairman, Kwara chapter has directed its Affiliates who deducted N1000 levy on every worker to refund it to State workers, following outrage, complaints and petition by civil servants in the State over the illegal levy. This was disclosed during a radio programme on Radio SBS.
In the programme, the Chairman of NLC also revealed that the body wrote to Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq over the new tax template adopted by KWIRS, following the approval of the minimum wage. The NLC Chairman called in to make clarifications on the levy and its position on the taxation of the minimum wage.
KWIRS claimed to have adopted the format that has been left unimplemented in the last 10 years, describing as a national template that must be followed, amidst the hardship experienced by workers, and the wage being inconsistent with what other States are paying, including Kogi. According to the Chairman of NLC, there was clear discussion on the State Government not adopting the new template since they are paying below the national template. He decried that if the State Government wanted to follow the national template, it ought to do so on wage payment, not only taxation.
Speaking further, the NLC Chairman expressed that Kogi and some other States granted their workers a year tax relief, so that the money can be meaningful and make a difference in the interim, except Kwara State Government who gives with one hand, and takes with the other, disregarding the request for tax relief completely. Instead, it chooses to burden workers with additional taxation.
The Chairman also revealed on air that despite sacrifice by the NLC to concede to N35,000, for the sake of LG workers being incorporated, the State Government has failed to do the same, by not being understanding with workers. While commending state workers for their commitment and trust in the leadership of the Union.
Workers in the State must note that while NLC has directed refund on the deductions by Affiliates, the N1,000 is not as consequential as over taxation on the minimum wage payment, refusal to grant tax relief as requested by Labour. The hypocrisy of Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq keeps coming forth, as he adopted the same dirty trick by paying N10,000 instead of N35,000 as wage award, despite appeal by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Governors.
There is no doubt whatsoever that Kwara State Government did not pay a single worker in the State the complete minimum wage, and workers must be lenient in their vituperations to the leadership of NLC, and face the State government squarely on the demands of NLC. The approved three months bonus by the state government is a Greek gift, it solves nothing, it will most likely cover October, November and December of 2024; and by January 2025, workers will be back to the same circle. It is a Greek gift not a relief in any form. The true relief is tax holiday, or reversal to old template. The Government knows we are in a very unusual period as people and as a country, they should stop playing dirty tricks and do something meaningful and worthy of appreciation.
Sulaiman Agbabiaka, Labour Welfare advocate writes from Ilorin, Kwara State
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