Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says it has rejected proposals by the Federal Government to increase the Value Added Tax (VAT) to fund the 2019 budget.
This is as the NLC Taraba State council has returned Peter Gambo as the branch president for a second term of four years.
The national president of NLC, Ayuba Waba, disclosed this Friday in Jalingo at the 12th delegates conference of the Taraba State chapter of NLC.
Waba warned that any increase in VAT or PAYE would not only rob Nigeria workers of the minimal relief from the increase in the national minimum wage but would also leave the country’s economy in dire straits.
He said, “Government should adopt progressive taxation in a manner that captures more people in the tax net and also ensures that the rich and luxury items are properly taxed.â€
Waba, whose speech was read by Salisu Abubakar, the national trustee North East of the union, described the delegates conference as timely as it came at both the heels of Nigeria general elections and the celebration of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) centenary.
Gambo will head a 12-member Taraba State Administrative Council (SAC) of NLC, who were equally elected with him to administer the affairs of NLC for the next four years.
The state president of Nigeria Union of Local government Employees Mamud Musa and that of Nigeria Union of Terchers Peter Vau were elected as Treasurer and Auditor 1, respectively.
In his acceptance speech, Gambo said the focus of the state council over the next four years would be to ensure that workers are treated as human beings.
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He urged the members to be ready for the battle of struggling for the welfare of members adding that any attempt to short change Taraba workers would be resisted.
Gambo promised that the Labour movement in Taraba would continue to take instructions from the national body and would always speak truth to the powers to protect the interests of the working class in Taraba State.
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