The Nigeria Labour Congress has condemned 6 per cent stamp duty fee for every tenancy and lease agreements in Nigeria.
President of the NLC Comrade Ayuba Waba stated this in a statement released to Newsmen in Abuja.
Ayuba Waba said the new stamp duty policy on rents and leases would worsen the hard situation being faced by Nigerian workers who are mostly tenants.
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‘’The Nigeria Labour Congress rejects this new stamp duty policy on rents and leases as it would worsen the deplorable situation faced by Nigerian workers most of whom, unfortunately, are tenants. It is also alarming that we are having a rash of hike in taxes and user access fees when other countries are offering palliatives to their citizens.’’ Said Comrade Waba.
Ayuba Waba further called on the Federal Inland Revenue Service to reverse the harsh decision as it is very insensitive to the condition which most Nigerians found themselves due to COVID -19 pandemic.
The labor leader called the attention of the federal government that no one wishes to be a tenant thereby targeting the unfriendly policy to the most vulnerable in the society.
.According to Waba the Government must take deliberate steps to avoid institutionalizing the widespread belief that it is a crime to be poor in Nigeria.
‘’We understand that the government needs money to run the business of governance especially at this time of economic challenges all over the world. But the answer is not in further exploiting the already exploited. There is no doubt that there are other painless ways of mobilizing funds to deal with the exigency of the times. ‘’ said the statement.
The NLC learned that there are thousands of Houses belonging to the very influential in society and called on the government to tax such owners of mansions in order to relieve Nigeria’s Housing deficits.
Comrade Ayuba Waba also called on the reversal of 6 percent tenancy lease stamp duty because the primary duty of government is security and welfare of the people of Nigeria.
