TUC condemns planned communication tax

The Trade Union Congress has condemned plans by the Federal Government to impose taxes on GSM calls and other related communication services.The President and acting Secretary General of the TUC, Bala Kaigama and Simeso Amachree, respectively, condemned the planned imposition of the Communication Service Tax by the Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu, in a statement on Sunday.They said the bill if passed into law, would empower the government to charge nine per cent tax on all telephone calls, text messages and data packages.The labour leaders wondered how the minister would expect workers in a country with a minimum wage of N18,000 to pay such a tax in the face of aggravated economic difficulties.They said that the policy was designed to exploit the impoverished masses, adding that it would discourage investments and cause job losses.The unionists urged the Federal Government to suspend the bill as the masses expected to cough out the tax already overburdened with multiple taxation.Kaigama and Amachree said that it did not make economic sense to initiate policies that could stifle businesses and worsen the woes of the citizens.The TUC leaders faulted the claim of Shittu that the country could earn as much as N20bn monthly from the passage of the bill, and could help to alleviate the economic challenges facing the country as well as fund budget deficit.