Labour Demands Tax Justice, Good Healthcare For Nigerians

Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked the federal government to adopt tax justice, social equity, and inclusive policymaking. It warned that economic hardship and regressive taxation are worsening the suffering of workers and ordinary citizens in the country.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives’ Ad-hoc Committee investigating alleged discrepancies between tax laws passed by the National Assembly and the gazetted versions has said it will conclude its assignment soon.

In a Christmas message issued yesterday, NLC president, Comrade Joe Ajaero, said millions of Nigerians were facing unbearable living conditions amid rising costs, policy failures, and widening inequality. He, however, stressed that national renewal remained possible through collective action and unity.

The NLC said the Christmas season, traditionally associated with hope and renewal, should be a time for reflection on Nigeria’s economic direction and the growing burden being placed on workers, farmers, traders, and other vulnerable groups.

It argued that hardship had been aggravated by policies that exclude labour and the general public from decision-making, particularly in the area of taxation.

The labour centre cautioned against what it described as distorted or poorly crafted tax laws, insisting that any fiscal framework imposed without workers’ input lacked legitimacy and should be rejected.

According to the congress, sustainable reform requires patience, transparency, and broad ownership, rather than hurried legislation driven by political interests.

The statement read in part: “We must insist on tax justice, where the rich pay their fair share and all forms of regressive taxation are eliminated. Any tax system that does not include workers in its formulation and passage into law remains unjust.

“It is better to patiently craft a law that is broadly owned than to rush into one filled with serious errors and outright political manipulation. A distorted or forged system is unacceptable and should be rejected by all.”

The statement further said: “We must insist on social justice, where all citizens have access to dignity, quality healthcare and education, greater equity for workers where labour is justly rewarded, and a safe and secure nation where lives and property are guaranteed.

“Only our collective action can guarantee the hope we seek for our nation. Together, with unity, organisation and solidarity, we will build the Nigeria of our dreams.”

The NLC also renewed its call for improved social justice, including access to quality healthcare, education, secure livelihoods, and safety and security, stressing that Nigerians should be able to live and work without fear or intimidation.

Reps Panel to Conclude Probe into Tax Laws Discrepancies Soon
The House of Representatives’ ad hoc Committee investigating alleged discrepancies between tax laws passed by the National Assembly and the gazetted versions has said it will conclude its assignment soon.
The committee’s chairman, Hon. Muktar Betara (APC, Borno), disclosed this after the panel’s inaugural meeting held in Abuja on Tuesday.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the committee’s media team, Betara said members were determined to complete the assignment without delay.

Betara, who also chairs the House Committee on Appropriations, assured that the panel would be transparent in the discharge of its mandate, adding that its findings and recommendations would be presented to the House immediately after the investigation.

“The committee has resolved to conclude its assignment and submit its report to the House within the shortest possible time,” he said.

He added that the decision was taken in the interest of legislative integrity, due process, and public confidence.

The House last Thursday constituted a seven-member ad hoc committee, chaired by Betara, following a resolution to address discrepancies between the tax laws passed by the National Assembly and the gazetted versions.

The move followed a matter of privilege raised by Hon. Abdulsammad Dasuki (PDP, Sokoto), who argued that his legislative privilege had been breached because the content of the tax laws as gazetted differed from what was debated and passed on the floor of the House.

Raising the issue under Order Six, Rule Two of the House Rules, Dasuki said he reviewed the gazetted copies alongside the Votes and Proceedings of the House of Representatives, as well as the harmonised version adopted by both chambers, and discovered inconsistencies.

“I was here, I gave my vote, and it was counted, yet I am seeing something completely different. I obtained copies of the gazetted laws from the Ministry of Information and found them to be inconsistent with what was approved by both the House and the Senate,” he said.

He urged the Speaker to ensure that all relevant documents — including the harmonised versions, the Votes and Proceedings of both chambers, and the gazetted copies currently in circulation — be presented to the Committee of the Whole for scrutiny by all members.